Bioluminescent microbes:
A)may have evolved to remove oxygen from the atmosphere
B)are often beneficiaries of symbiotic relationships with a larger host,producing light in exchange for nutrients
C)often have the enzyme luciferase which catalyzes the oxidation reaction that emits light
D)all of these

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Bioluminescent microbes may have evolved for various reasons, but most commonly, they are beneficiaries of symbiotic relationships with a larger host, producing light in exchange for nutrients. They often have the enzyme luciferase, which catalyzes the oxidation reaction that emits light. However, they did not evolve to remove oxygen from the atmosphere because oxygen is essential for their function, and they cannot survive in an oxygen-free environment.

Bioluminescent Microbes