Research Page

What I Need to Know

I need to understand the type of environment that pyrocystis lunula and related dinoflagellates best thrive in. Conditions that could affect this are salinity, light, etc. It would be best to understand their ecological role as well as why they function specifically in the ocean. I also need to know how they can be harnessed as a usable form of light energy.

What I Know

Pyrocystis lunula is a dinoflagellate that glows in the dark, and is found in the ocean. It is responsible for creating bioluminescence. It is a natural process.

The Search

I scoured through research articles as well as resorted to the Internet to do a lot of the initial research and understanding on pyrocystis lunula. My mentor, Dr. Batra, also allowed me to use some of the biology textbooks in his office to find as much information as I could. He would update me on any news that he found out about my subject of interest, and I would pay attention to the news as well. The interview also helped me answer some of my unresolved doubts. There could be bias in the sources that I used in the Internet such as Wikipedia (as anyone can edit them), but the bulk of my research came through the research articles.

What I Found

Pyrocystis lunula works best when it is in an environment that forces it to use its defense mechanism. It is the very base of the food chain in the ocean, so it is required to sustain a lot of the primary/secondary aquatic consumers. It may not be currently possible because pyrocystis lunula is attuned to almost a certain circadian rhythm of the ocean (meaning it would only work best when it is within that environment). Perhaps if we used the dinoflagellate from terrestrial organisms, we would attain better results because it wouldn’t be as dependent on ocean water. Salinity levels do matter, however, as well as organic compounds that enhance the glow. Bioluminescence is also used for gene marking and protein tracking, so it could have other benefits as well.