Eastern Emerald Elysia (Elysia chlorotica) - Photosynthetic Animal

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  • Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
  • The creature you see in the video is Elysia chlorotica, commonly known as the eastern emerald elysia. It is a small-to-medium-sized species of green sea slug and one of the few "solar-powered sea slugs" we know. In simple words, it utilizes solar energy using chloroplasts obtained from its algal prey .
    Original Video Credit: Credit: Mary E. Rumpho et al, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0804968105
    Here's some more info from: www.strangeanim...
    Elysia chlorotica is a small to medium-sized green sea slug of the Plakobranchidae family. This slug is a partially solar-powered creature that sequesters and retains active chloroplasts from the Vaucheria litorea algae it preys on. During the feeding process, it first punctures the algal cell wall with its radula. Then it holds the algae firmly in its mouth and,sucks out the contents. Instead of digesting the entire cell it retains the chloroplasts, by storing them within its own cells throughout its digestive system.
    The incorporation of the chloroplasts allows the slug to capture energy directly from the sun, like most plants do, through photosynthesis. In periods where algae is not readily available to eat, the species may be able to survive for months on the sugars produced through the photosynthesis done by the already incorporated chloroplasts. Although E. chlorotica slugs are unable to synthesize their own chloroplasts, the ability to maintain the chloroplasts acquired from Vaucheria litorea in a functional state indicates that Elysia chlorotica must possess photosynthesis-supporting genes within its own genome, most likely acquired through horizontal gene transfer.
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