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From Bioluminescence to Global Warming
Unveiling the Glow Investigating Temperature's Impact on
Bioluminescence and the resilience of marine ecosystems to global warming
Ayra Memon
8th Grade Science
Voiceover
Presenter Information(s)
Ayra Memon
Project Category
Jr - Earth & Environmental Sciences
Project Number
JR-EEV-008
Optional: Supplementary Materials
Research paper
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cwWOVWfalCWGc52DepO_65MD_3nF0qjc/view
Young Changemaker Award
While working on my project, I found that the impact of climate change is significant on temperature-sensitive organisms like Pyrocystis fusiformis and this could lead to various ecological consequences in marine ecosystems. Changes in temperature may disrupt the biological processes governing the organism's bioluminescence, potentially altering the intensity, duration, or frequency of this light emission. Such alterations could affect communication, predation avoidance, and reproductive strategies.
The sensitivity of Pyrocystis fusiformis to temperature variations may result in shifts in population dynamics, influencing the distribution and abundance of these organisms within specific marine environments. This, in turn, can have cascading effects on interactions, impacting organisms that feed on Pyrocystis and those reliant on them as a food source. It can also mess with how carbon moves around in the ocean. This is bad for the ocean and everything that depends on it, including humans. To lessen the effects of climate change on the ocean, we must understand the interconnected nature of these impacts and how they are crucial for predicting, managing, and mitigating the broader consequences of climate change on marine biodiversity, the well-being of ecosystems and human activities dependent on healthy oceans.
Abstract or Description
The aim of this experiment is to provide insight into the relationship between temperature and bioluminescence duration and brightness in Pyrocystis fusiformis and related organisms. I hypothesize that room temperature would induce the highest bioluminescence in Pyrocystis Fusiformis. My reasoning is based on the belief that extremely cold temperatures would inhibit movement due to freezing, while excessively warm temperatures might lead to their death or excessive stress. Room temperature, being intermediate, is theorized to be conducive for optimal bioluminescent activity as it falls between the extremes of too cold and too warm.
Climate change can mess up the bioluminescence of some organisms and mess with how they interact with other species. This can affect how these organisms' function in the environment and how their food chains, such as what they eat and what they are eaten by. It can also mess with how carbon moves around in the ocean. This is bad for the ocean and everything that depends on it, including humans. To lessen the effects of climate change on the ocean, we must understand how these things are connected.