Introduction to the Special Issue on "Bioluminescence in Arthropods"

Quorum sensing is a mechanism of bacterial communication that enables coordinated gene expression in response to changes in population density. This facilitates collective behaviors that enhance survival, resource acquisition, and ecological adaptation. This process relies on small signaling molecules called autoinducers that accumulate as bacterial populations grow. When a critical threshold concentration of autoinducers is reached, bacterial cells collectively modify gene expression,...

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...