Studies on Bioluminescence. X. Carbon Dioxide Production during Luminescence of Cypridina Luciferin. by E. Newton Harvey

All luminous animals require oxygen for luminescence bu t it is not known whether they give off CO2 as a result of the luminescence. Luminous bacteria produce carbon dioxide but this is no doubt the carbon dioxide of respiration. Even if we could prove that luminous bacteria produced more carbon dioxide than certain non-luminous bacteria, this would not necessarily znean that the excess carbon dioxide was produced during luminescence. Different organisms produce very different quantities of CO2 per body weight and in no necessary relation to luminescence. In 1855, Fabre 1 published results which indicated that non-luminous portions of a mushroom, Agaricus olearius, produced less CO~ (2.88 cc. of CO2 per gin. in 36 hours at 12°C.) than luminous parts (4.41 cc. of CO~ per gin. in 36 hours at 12°C.). There are, however, many reasons besides luminescence why one part of a plant might produce more CO2 than another. There are also many facts which indicate that luminescence is in no way connected with the respiration of cells. This is quite obvious in the case of animal cells where respiration is continuous and luminescence appears only as the result of stimulation of the cell. But even in bacteria where respiration and luminescence are both continuous, the two processes are distinct. Some luminous bacteria are facultative anaerobes and will multiply and respire but will not luminesce in the absence of oxygen. 2 McKenney ~ found that Bacillus phosphorescens will grow rapidly in 0.5 per cent ether without pro-