(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
Loading ...A new type of Nudibranch has been discovered that can survive from photosynthesis.
Mary Rumpho of the University of Maine, is an expert on E. chlorotica and has now discovered how the sea slug gets this ability: it photosynthesises with genes “stolen” from the algae it eats.
She has known for some time that E. chlorotica acquires chloroplasts – the green cellular objects that allow plant cells to convert sunlight into energy – from the algae it eats, and stores them in the cells that line its gut.
Young E. chlorotica fed with algae for two weeks, could survive for the rest of their year-long lives without eating, Rumpho found in earlier work.
If only they weren’t temperate nudis. They sound like they’d make a great addition to a reef tank!
In the hobby since 2001, and has seen all kinds of fads come and go. As he gets older, Jeff is developing more and more of a conscience towards environmental concerns, especially towards reefs. Currently, he writes from Ontario, Canada, but would rather be snorkeling on a reef.
the good questions is whether this algae can use ANY algae cells to do the photosynthesis or it requires a very specific species of algae to enable this method.
Interesting find.