Fluorescence and luminescence are widespread optical phenomena exhibited by organisms living in terrestrial and aquatic environments. While many underlying mechanistic features have been identified and characterized at the molecular and cellular levels, much less is known about the ecology and evolution of these forms of bioluminescence. In this review, we summarize recent findings in the evolutionary history and ecological functions of fluorescent proteins (FP) and pigments. Evidence for green fluorescent protein (GFP) orthologs in cephalochordates and non-GFP fluorescent proteins in vertebrates suggests unexplored evolutionary scenarios that favor multiple independent origins of fluorescence across metazoan lineages. Several context-dependent behavioral and physiological roles have been attributed to fluorescent proteins, ranging from communication and predation to UV protection. However, rigorous functional and mechanistic studies are needed to shed light on the ecological functions and control mechanisms of fluorescence.

中文翻译：

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海洋作为调色板：荧光的生态和演化。

荧光和发光是生活在陆地和水生环境中的生物体广泛展示的光学现象。虽然已在分子和细胞水平上鉴定并表征了许多潜在的机械特征，但对这些形式的生物发光的生态学和进化了解的很少。在这篇综述中，我们总结了荧光蛋白（FP）和色素的进化历史和生态功能的最新发现。有证据表明，在脊椎动物的头针中有绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）直系同源物，在脊椎动物中有非GFP荧光蛋白，这表明未经探索的进化场景有利于跨子生体谱系的多个独立的荧光起源。荧光蛋白可归因于几种与情境有关的行为和生理作用，从沟通，掠夺到紫外线防护，应有尽有。然而，需要进行严格的功能和机理研究以阐明荧光的生态功能和控制机制。