Fluorescence in marine animals has mainly been studied in Cnidaria but is found in many different phyla such as Annelida, Crustacea, Mollusca, and Chordata. While many fluorescent proteins and molecules have been identified, very little information is available about the biological functions of fluorescence. In this review, we focus on describing the occurrence of fluorescence in marine animals and the behavioural and physiological functions of fluorescent molecules based on experimental approaches. These biological functions of fluorescence range from prey and symbiont attraction, photoprotection, photoenhancement, stress mitigation, mimicry, and aposematism to inter‐ and intraspecific communication. We provide a comprehensive list of marine taxa that utilise fluorescence, including demonstrated effects on behavioural or physiological responses. We describe the numerous known functions of fluorescence in anthozoans and their underlying molecular mechanisms. We also highlight that other marine taxa should be studied regarding the functions of fluorescence. We suggest that an increase in research effort in this field could contribute to understanding the capacity of marine animals to respond to negative effects of climate change, such as rising sea temperatures and increasing intensities of solar irradiation.

中文翻译：

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海洋动物荧光分子的多样性和功能

海洋动物的荧光主要在刺胞动物门中进行研究，但在环节动物门、甲壳纲、软体动物门和脊索动物门等许多不同的门中也有发现。虽然许多荧光蛋白和分子已被鉴定，但有关荧光生物学功能的信息却很少。在这篇综述中，我们重点描述海洋动物中荧光的发生以及基于实验方法的荧光分子的行为和生理功能。荧光的这些生物学功能范围从吸引猎物和共生体、光保护、光增强、缓解压力、模仿和警戒到种间和种内通信。我们提供了利用荧光的海洋类群的完整列表，包括已证实对行为或生理反应的影响。我们描述了萤光在昆虫中的许多已知功能及其潜在的分子机制。我们还强调，应该研究其他海洋类群的荧光功能。我们建议，增加这一领域的研究工作可能有助于了解海洋动物应对气候变化负面影响（例如海水温度上升和太阳辐射强度增加）的能力。