GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Bioluminescent dinoflagellates are a type of plankton-tiny marine organisms that can sometimes cause the surface of the ocean to sparkle at night.

Detailed explanation-2: -Bioluminescence is exhibited by a wide variety of oceanic organisms, from bacteria to large squids and fishes. The light is emitted when a flavin pigment, luciferin, is oxidized in the presence of luciferase, an enzyme also produced by the organism. (The chemical system is like that of fireflies.)

Detailed explanation-3: -Bioluminescence is found in many marine organisms: bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish, and sharks to name just a few. In fish alone, there are about 1, 500 known species that luminesce.

Detailed explanation-4: -Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some bioluminescent bacteria, and terrestrial arthropods such as fireflies.

Detailed explanation-5: -There are two different types of bioluminescence: intracellular (the chemical reaction occurs in specialized bodies) and extracellular (molecules are synthesized in the body and are then expelled to the outside where the reaction occurs).