Why and how certain types of mushrooms glow has long confused scientists , but now they think they might have an answer . It appears that some fungi emit light to attract insects at night , which then spread their fungal spores around . And interestingly , the mushrooms are also able to sync up their ability with the circadian clock , so they only become bioluminescent when it is dark . Scientists in Brazil studied why certain species of mushroom glow . They found the ability helps them attract insects at night . These creatures will then move their fungal spores elsewhere . But the mushrooms are able to turn off the ability during the day . Pictured is Neonothopanus gardneri . The research , published in the journal Current Biology , was led by the University of Sao Paulo . Among bioluminescent organisms , fungi are the most rare and least understood . Of more than 100,000 species of fungi , only 71 are known to produce green light , a process that uses oxygen and energy . Scientists had thought they produce light around the clock as byproduct of their metabolism , but based on new evidence it seems that is n't so . The effect is triggered by a chemical reaction between luciferin , a light-emitting pigment , and the enzyme luciferase . It can occur in fungi as well as in a range of animals including jellyfish , squid , scorpions and other insects . In fact , the mushrooms ' glow appears to be under the control of a temperature-compensated circadian clock . This level of control helps them 'save energy ' during hours of daylight when they do not need to grow . At night , the green glow attracts insects including beetles , flies , wasps and ants . 'It appears that fungi make light so they are noticed by insects who can help the fungus colonize new habitats , ' said Dr Cassius Stevani of Brazil 's Instituto de Química-Universidade de São Paulo . The circadian control of bioluminescence makes the process more efficient . 'Regulation implies an adaptive function for bioluminescence , ' added Dr Jay Dunlap of Dartmouth 's Geisel School of Medicine . Here the species Neonothopanus gardneri is seen during the day , when its bioluminescent ability 'turns off ' in order to conserve energy . Scientists had thought they produce light around the clock as byproduct of their metabolism , but based on this new evidence it seems that is n't so . To make the findings , the researchers made sticky , fake mushrooms out of acrylic resin and lit them from inside with green LED lights ( shown ) . When those pretend fungi were placed in the forest , the ones that were lit led many more insects to get stuck than did comparably sticky dark mushrooms . The research focused on Neonothopanus gardneri , one of the biggest and brightest of bioluminescent mushrooms . N. gardneri is also called 'flor de coco , ' meaning coconut flower , by locals in Brazil , where the mushroom can be found attached to leaves at the base of young palm trees in coconut forests . Other fungi have other methods to disperse their spores like the Common Stinkhorn ( shown ) , which releases a foul smell to get flies to attract flies . To make the findings , the researchers made sticky , fake mushrooms out of acrylic resin and lit them from inside with green LED lights . When those pretend fungi were placed in the forest where the real bioluminescent mushrooms are found , the ones that were lit led many more insects to get stuck than did comparably sticky dark mushrooms . The team are now hoping to identify the genes responsible for the mushrooms ' bioluminescence , and aims to explore their interaction with the circadian clock that controls them . They are also using infrared cameras to watch the interaction between N. gardneri mushrooms and arthropods , especially larger ones , more closely . And the findings could also reveal how mushrooms are dispersed by insects , which is important because N. gardneri plays a key role in forest ecosystems . 'Without them , cellulose would be stuck in its form , which would impact the whole carbon cycle on Earth , ' said Dr Stevani . ' I dare to say that life on Earth depends on organisms like these . ' Some fungi in the group known as basidiomycetes , including two bioluminescent mushrooms , are also parasites of coffee and pine trees . As a result , Stevani says , 'it is very important to know how basidiomycetes grow and consequently how they spread their spores . '
Scientists in Brazil studied why certain species of mushroom glow . They found the ability helps them attract insects at night . These creatures will then move their fungal spores elsewhere . But the mushrooms are able to turn off the ability during the day . ' I dare to say that life on Earth depends on organisms like these , ' said one of the researchers , Dr Jay Dunlap .