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The emission of light from living organisms. It results either from internal chemical reactions or from the reemission of absorbed energy as radiation. In plants, luminescence is probably the result of inefficiencies during oxidation-reduction reactions. Some of the energy released excites a molecule to a high-energy state and when the molecule returns to the ground state visible light is emitted. Luminescence is exhibited by certain fungi, including some of the genus Mycena, and also certain bacteria and planktonic algae.
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