HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Summer Science: Firefly Babies Advertise Their Bitter Taste, UD Researchers Say

JULY 2, 1997--As children chase twinkling insects and the setting sun throws long shadows across the backyard, consider this: Light cues keep predators from snacking on baby fireflies, University of Delaware scientists report in the new Journal of Insect Behavior.

"A flashing neon sign may lure hungry humans to an all-night diner," says Douglas W. Tallamy, professor of entomology and applied ecology, "but the bioluminescence of firefly larvae sends a very different message to would-be predators."

The UD study is believed to offer the first laboratory-based evidence of an insect using bioluminescence--rather than coloration--as an "aposematic display," which warns predators of an unappetizing or hazardous meal. Bright colors, such as the orange and black patterns on a monarch butterfly or the yellow stripes on a wasp, are far more typical examples of aposematic display, Tallamy notes. Baby fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) clearly use light signals to ward off predators, UD researchers found.

This new insight into firefly behavior may serve as an educational tool for both adults and children this summer, Tallamy says. "The more people understand about their natural world, the more they are likely to appreciate why it must be preserved for future generations," he explains. "And, children who understand why fireflies are flashing may get hooked on science."

Decoding light signals

Since at least 1952, researchers have known that adult fireflies use light patterns as part of a mating ritual, Tallamy says. Because baby fireflies are not mature enough to reproduce, researchers have speculated that younger specimens might use light cues for survival, rather than reproduction. Without laboratory evidence to support the theory, however, the messages sent by firefly larvae have remained a mystery--until now.

With graduate student Todd J. Underwood and John D. Pesek, an associate scientist in UD's Department of Food and Resource Economics, Tallamy tested
'"/>

Contact: Ginger Pinholster
ginger.pinholster@mvs.udel.edu
302-831-6408
University of Delaware
30-Jun-1997


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Summer in the South: Kudzu and oriental bittersweet
2. ESMO Summer Educational Conference, ESEC
3. Summer of the Shark in 2001 more hype than fact, new numbers show
4. Summer 2000 techNotes
5. Seabed Silt In Indian Ocean Consists Of Remains Of Summer Plankton
6. Summer Science: Where Have All The Honeybees Gone? UD Bee Guy Asks Why--From America To The Amazon
7. Gene Transfer Process Generates Seedless Summer Days
8. Science: nanoscale Trojan Horse attacks cancer cells from within
9. Science: Prion proteins may signal trouble -- literally
10. UD Valentine Science: Cell "Dating" Habits May Promise Healthier Hearts
11. Firefly compound lights up protein dance in living animals

Post Your Comments:
(Date:5/17/2013)... of all ages will celebrate the science and ... our daily lives during the inaugural Atlanta Science ... educators from local museums, corporations, K-12 schools and ... different events for children and adults at venues ... . , The annual Atlanta Science Festival ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... iCargo project (Intelligent Cargo in Efficient and Sustainable Global ... to an improvement in the efficiency of intermodal loading ... decision making. It comprises 29 European organisations with experience ... It has a budget totalling 17,000,000 and a duration ... working to specify and develop the semantic components and ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... An international team of scientists using a new ... inside a living frog embryo in greater detail than ... advance biological research and the search for new treatments ... Karlsruher Institut fr Technologie in Germany, in collaboration with ... Energy,s Argonne National Laboratory, released the most precise depiction ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):First Atlanta Science Festival set for 2014 2New logistics services that will cut energy consumption and CO2 emissions 2New X-ray method shows how frog embryos could help thwart disease 2
(Date:5/16/2013)... Cambridge Healthtech Institute will host its fifth annual ... Renaissance Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA. The ten ... the current strategies and innovations for optimizing bioprocesses while ... the field will reveal how their work has resulted ... and efficiency. , “In this age of rapid innovation, ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... , May 16, 2013  HealthSparq, a ... of the nation,s largest regional health plans, will ... Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Institute 2013 conference on ... survey results showing how health insurance companies across ... the consumer and marketplace demands for increased healthcare ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... Scientists at the Center for Learning and ... the California -based biopharmaceutical company Magceutics, ... for reversing memory decline in mice with Alzheimer,s Disease. ... improvement in advanced stage AD mice. The study is ... decline for advanced stage AD mice, and is also ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) May 16, 2013 ... years and costs over one billion dollars. Despite this ... market. With stakes this high, is your clinical trial ... and deliver the best outcomes? , Dr. Frederic Sax, ... Quintiles, will discuss the use of data, information and ...
Breaking Biology Technology:The 2013 Bioprocessing Summit to Bring Together International Leaders to Discuss Today's Bioprocess Issues From Cell Line Selection to Manufacturing in Boston, MA 2HealthSparq to Reveal New Healthcare Transparency Benchmark Study at AHIP Institute 2013 2HealthSparq to Reveal New Healthcare Transparency Benchmark Study at AHIP Institute 2013 3Elevation of Brain Magnesium Reverses Memory Deficits in Alzheimer Mice 2Elevation of Brain Magnesium Reverses Memory Deficits in Alzheimer Mice 3Optimizing Clinical Trials Outcomes through Computer Assisted Design, New Life Science Webinar Hosted by Xtalks 2
Cached News: