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Bizarre sea slug is half plant, half animal
Scientists discover chlorophyll-producing sea slug that can carry out photosynthesis using genes swiped from plants.
Thu, Jan 14 2010 at 1:58 PM
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It looks like any other sea slug, aside from its bright green hue. But the Elysia chlorotica is far from ordinary: it is both a plant and an animal, according to biologists who have been studying the species for two decades.
Not only does E. chlorotica turn sunlight into energy — something only plants can do — it also appears to have swiped this ability from the algae it consumes.
Native to the salt marshes of New England and Canada, these sea slugs use contraband chlorophyll-producing genes and cell parts called chloroplasts from algae to carry out photosynthesis, says Sidney Pierce, a biologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
That genetic material has since been passed down to the next generation, eliminating the need to consume algae for energy.
However, the baby slugs can’t carry out photosynthesis until they’ve stolen their own chloroplasts, which they aren’t yet able to produce on their own, from their first and only meal of algae.
"We collect them and we keep them in aquaria for months," Pierce told LiveScience. "As long as we shine a light on them for 12 hours a day, they can survive [without food]."
Pierce and his colleagues used a radioactive tracer to ensure that the slugs are now producing the chlorophyll themselves and not gathering it from algal contamination in the aquaria.
Crustacean biologist Gary Martin of Occidental College in Los Angeles sums it up in one word: “Bizarre”.
“Steps in evolution can be more creative than I ever imagined,” said Martin.
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hi - hope you put your email in
as an evolutionary biologist I found my religion in 2007 when the encode project unraveled the true complexity of the genome
all can can say is it's self evident it was designed
Speaking as a Harvard English professor, I do declare your post to be a false appeal to authority. Simply because something is beautiful doesn't mean you should ever attribute it to a higher power, and doing so belittles the true beauty of our universe. Evolutionary biologist. Yeah. Tell that to my PhD in basket weaving.
That being said, I hold my breath in anticipation for the day when I can feed this slug rare candy until it learns solar beam.
Excellent post, I have always thought the same way. Finding religion is one thing, making the argument that the genome is a code is an entirely different one altogether. A code implies equal understanding on both sides, whereas often the communication is flawed. The genome is more like an extremely complex blueprint. Also, I almost fell out of my chair laughing at the solar beam comment. Love it!
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Great post, I concur completely and appreciate the time you took to write it. Cheers!
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the sea has some interesting creatures under it, does it not?
what the fuck are you doing there takeing photos with your plastic cam ? r u bored ? go eat a burger get out of the sea. stop the stupid from beeing fast and maybe the lot can rest today. 11:43
This isn't part plant part sea slug. Whoever wrote that is obviously misinformed. The animal eats algae and then it incoporates the chloroplasts from the algae into its own nearly clear body, giving it both its greenish hue and ability to use sunlight for energy. It is not a plant at all.
but just like bad sci-fy movies of the past it sounds sooo much better as,
"Half Animal, Half PLANT!!!!" aaaaaaaaaaaah!
see, sounds so much better! but also it never the less survives on the same process as plants which is the actual interesting point. I'd be surprised in anyone actually thought it was half a plant.
Your misinformed not the author. It uses chloroplast to make energy its an autotroph which has not been discovered in any animal only plants and some prokaryotes. It is the only eukaryotic organism to have this ability there for it is a "part plant sea slug" cause it has characteristics that a plant have but it is a sea slug. Did you just not read the article or are you dumb??
It says 'Bizarre sea slug is half plant, half animal' right in the title. So you're wrong.
An ANIMAL is a multicellular, heterotrophic eukaryote without cell walls.
An ANIMAL is a multicellular, heterotrophic eukaryote without cell walls.
theres no point in speculating the existance of a god when their is no universal cycle. the universe will expand forever and everything will become desolate corpses becoming ever more isolated from one another. a god would have made a cycle. just doesnt seem right.
"The universe will expand forever" doesnt this deny the law of gravity? as of now everything is expanding from ground zero of the big bang right? at some point isnt it safe to assume that the trajectory will eventually diminish and then reverse as the locus of gravity continues to become ever more massive? Then when the entire universe has undergone "the big crunch": another big bang.
"The universe will expand forever" doesnt this deny the law of gravity? as of now everything is expanding from ground zero of the big bang right? at some point isnt it safe to assume that the trajectory will eventually diminish and then reverse as the locus of gravity continues to become ever more massive? Then when the entire universe has undergone "the big crunch": another big bang.
http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/211_fall2002.web.dir/sarah_schlichting/accel...
wierd
wierd
"it also appears to have swiped this ability from the algae it consumes"
Swiper no Swiping.
is that really real? a half plant half animal creature.
maybe we arent God's miracles.. maybe everything on this planet is His rejects and Earth is where he tosses aside his failures.. as much as we abuse and neglect, I think it is hard to call us His success. Are we that arrogant to think were are that good??? think.
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