In the dark around the river, I saw spots light shining. They looked like
stars but they were moving. Yes, they were fireflies. But, it happened many
years ago. Now, it’s difficult to find fireflies because they are
disappearing.
Why Are Fireflies Disappearing?
Scientists belive that many factors cause fireflies disappear. Female
fireflies usually lay their fertilized eggs on or just below the surface of the
ground. When the eggs hatch, the larvae grow in rotting wood in the forest. And
the problem is many forests in our beloved earth are being paved.
Fireflies love to grow and play around the river, stream and lake. But, our
waterways are seeing more development and noisy boat traffic. Beside that, many
lakes and river are not clean any more. Use of pestisides can also make lakes
and rivers are poisoned. It’s really uncomfortable to be in such a noisy and
dirty place.
What about light pollution? Of course, it can disturb fireflies too. They use
their flashing lights to communicate each other, and sometimes across large
groups of thousands of insects. So, what happen if we use too much light in the
night everywhere? Light from houses, cars, building, lights along the road and
many others. Since there are less forest in the Earth, they are gone.
What Do Fireflies Eat?
Fireflies larvae live on the ground, under bark, and in moist swampy places.
They eat earthworms, snails and slugs, plus they may scavenge certain small dead
animals and other organic material . They have been seen following slime trails
to their slug and snail victims.
A firefly can produce light from it’s body through a chemical reaction called
bioluminescence. This process occurs in specialised light-emitting organs,
usually on a firefly’s lower abdomen. The enzyme luciferase acts on luciferin,
in the presence of magnesium ions, ATP (adenosene triphosphate), and oxygen to
produce light.
Written by SAA
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