Light in the sea - correlations with behaviors of fishes and invertebrates

Abstract

SYNOPSIS. Light is characterized by three basic properties: intensity, the frequency of electromagnetic vibration, and polarization. Beneath the surface of the sea each of these properties of light is modified in ways that could affect the behaviors and the underlying physiological and biochemical mechanisms that control the behavior of organisms. How light changes under water in several time domains, such as seasonal, daily, and even shorter periods of time, is described. The correlation between diel shifts in the activity of fishes and marine invertebrates and the daily changes in light under water is described. It is concluded that exactly how light influences these daily shifts in animal activity, and whether or not circadian rhythms also influence the shifts, is, for most species, not known. © 1986 by the American Society of Zoologists.