Fitting In

Mimicry is one clear example of natural selection . Animals of all types fit in by camouflage. These maskings serve to trick predators and thus would appear to provide enhanced fitness. In the oceans, bioluminescence is often used as a means of fitting in with animals as they ascend at night to feed in the shallows. The moonlight from above is matched by the luminescent bacteria housed in tissues of a variety of pelagic invertebrates.



My personal favorite: the bobtailed squid, Euprymna scolopes. This creature uses symbiotic, bioluminescent bacteria housed in specialized organs, to shine downward upon predators looking up for an easy meal. These squid would appear defenseless: small, tender, and slow. The bacteria in these organs produce light that serves to hide the mollusk's silhouette against the moonlight, effectively camouflaging the host.

The molecular interactions between host and symbiont are of particular interest to scientists. The mechanisms of transmission from generation to generation of squid is also an area of intense research in addition to the host's developmental changes incurred from the association. Finally, the genome mapping of the symbiont is an active field.