Light at the end of the tunnel: Insight into the evolution of bioluminescence

Kwarten, Govert (2023) Light at the end of the tunnel: Insight into the evolution of bioluminescence. Bachelor's Thesis, Biology.

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Abstract

This literature research aims to give insight into the evolutionary history of bioluminescence. Bioluminescence can be defined as the emission of light by living organisms. The following research question: “What are the modes of evolution when looking at bioluminescence systems based on luciferin and luciferases or photoproteins that have evolved over time?” was created in an attempt to shed light on the evolutionary mysteries of the emission of light. Firstly, it was expected that that convergent evolution could explain the evolutionary history between the different luciferins responsible for bioluminescence. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that when looking at the separate light-emitting systems categorized per luciferin, convergent evolution will prove insufficient to explain their evolutionary history. Concludingly, it can be said that convergent evolution prevails when the different luciferins are evaluated between each other. When looking at the different luciferins individually it can be said that tetrapyrrole and cypridina have likely evolved convergently, while parallel evolution is the main mode of evolution in coelenterazine and D-luciferin. Lastly, it was determined that light emission in bacteria and fungi could in both cases are an example of divergent evolution. Overall, this thesis aims to provide insight into the existing knowledge of the evolutionary history of bioluminescence and reveal underexposed aspects that require more extensive research.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Beukeboom, L.W. and Wertheim, B.
Degree programme:	Biology
Thesis type:	Bachelor's Thesis
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	05 Jul 2023 09:50
Last Modified:	05 Jul 2023 09:50
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/30261

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