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Related Concept Videos

Light as Energy01:35

Light as Energy

The energy required to carry out photosynthesis is light— typically electromagnetic radiation from the sun. The range of all possible wavelengths is known as the electromagnetic spectrum.
Photons
A photon is a discrete electromagnetic particle or bundle of energy. Photons are characterized by their frequency, wavelength, and amplitude, similar to the properties of a wave. Waves with higher frequencies transmit more energy and have shorter wavelengths than longer wavelengths that transmit less...
Light Acquisition02:16

Light Acquisition

In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
Photoluminescence: Applications01:14

Photoluminescence: Applications

Photoluminescence offers a wide range of applications due to its inherent sensitivity and selectivity. This technique allows for both direct and indirect analyses of the analyte. Direct quantitative analysis is possible when the analyte exhibits a favorable quantum yield for fluorescence or phosphorescence. However, an indirect analysis may be feasible if the analyte is not fluorescent or phosphorescent, or if the quantum yield is unfavorable. Indirect methods include reacting the analyte with...
Photoluminescence: Fluorescence and Phosphorescence01:23

Photoluminescence: Fluorescence and Phosphorescence

Photoluminescence is a process where a molecule absorbs light energy and re-emits it in the form of light. This phenomenon occurs when a substance absorbs photons, promoting its electrons to higher energy level excited states, followed by a relaxation process in which the electrons return to their original ground state energy levels and emit light. Photoluminescence is widely observed in various materials, including semiconductors, and organic and inorganic compounds.
A pair of electrons in a...
The Wave Nature of Light02:12

The Wave Nature of Light

The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.
Photoelectric Effect02:26

Photoelectric Effect

When light of a particular wavelength strikes a metal surface, electrons are emitted. This is called the photoelectric effect. The minimum frequency of light that can cause such emission of electrons is called the threshold frequency, which is specific to the metal. Light with a frequency lower than the threshold frequency, even if it is of high intensity, cannot initiate the emission of electrons. However, when the frequency is higher than the threshold value, the number of electrons ejected...

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Correlative Light- and Electron Microscopy Using Quantum Dot Nanoparticles
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Correlative Light- and Electron Microscopy Using Quantum Dot Nanoparticles

Published on: August 7, 2016

Light from down under.

Maoz Fine1, Shai Sabbah, Nadav Shashar

  • 1The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel.

The Journal of Experimental Biology
|September 14, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Coral-algae symbiosis relies on light. Sand-dwelling corals like Heterocyathus aequicostatus and Heteropsammia cochlea utilize coarse sand to channel light to their underside algae, demonstrating co-evolution with their substrate.

Keywords:
AspidosyphonGreat Barrier ReefHeterocyathusHeteropsammiacorallight

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Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Symbiosis
  • Coral Reef Ecology

Background:

  • Coral-algae symbiosis is crucial for tropical corals, depending on efficient light attenuation by the coral skeleton.
  • Scleractinian corals are exceptional light collectors due to internal light field modulation within their skeletons.
  • Coral skeleton particles on reef margins retain these optical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate light penetration in coarse and fine carbonate sands for two free-living coral species: Heterocyathus aequicostatus and Heteropsammia cochlea.
  • To determine if light flux to the underside of sand-dwelling corals is beneficial for photosynthesis.
  • To explore the relationship between coral morphology, substrate type, and light availability for symbiotic algae.

Main Methods:

  • Field observations and laboratory measurements of light penetration in coarse and fine carbonate sands.
  • Analysis of coral morphology and its correlation with light travel distance within the substrate.
  • Assessment of photosynthetic activity of symbiotic algae on the underside of partially buried corals.

Main Results:

  • Coarse carbonate sand allows light penetration, while fine sand reflects most light.
  • A correlation exists between coral diameter and light propagation distance in the sand.
  • Symbiotic algae on the coral's underside remain photosynthetically active even when the coral is partially buried.

Conclusions:

  • Substrate type significantly impacts the performance of coral-algae-worm symbiosis.
  • Sand-dwelling corals exhibit unique light-trapping strategies adapted to their specific substrate.
  • The findings highlight a striking example of co-evolution between corals, symbiotic algae, and their sandy environment.