ABSTRACT
The sun has had a prominent role in mythology, religion, poetry, and science. This is not a surprise, since it is no exaggeration to say that the sun is the ultimate giver of life on planet Earth. Though photosynthesis was probably the original form of life’s exploitation of electromagnetic energy, given the opportunistic creativity of the living world, it is not surprising that organisms found other uses for this energy. The ability to respond to information in the environment provided an opportunity for organisms to manipulate the behavior of other organisms by changing the patterns of light they reflect. Pigmentation is used for many layers of communication in the living world. Plants use brightly colored flowers and fruits to attract animals useful for pollination and for spreading the resulting seeds. In the endless battle to avoid being eaten, pigmentation can also be used as camouflage to hide from predators.
