animals, animals, animals

Paying homage to the wonderful, unusual and diverse world of animals. I make no claim to content ownership. Sources are credited (with links) whenever possible — on both unique posts & re-blogs. Any post will be removed upon request (please provide URL link to the post/page). Enjoy! Email: animalworldtumblrblog@gmail.com Twitter: @animalworldtoo


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Solar Powered SEA SLUG (Elysia chlorotica) ©PNAS Elysia chlorotica is a lurid green sea slug, with a gelatinous leaf-shaped body, that lives along the Atlantic seaboard of the US. What sets it apart from most other sea slugs is its ability to run on solar power. What this means is that starting a few weeks after birth, it eats only infrequently and get most of it’s energy from the sun. 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 photosynthesizes with genes “stolen” from the algae it eats. In their latest experiments, Rumpho and colleagues sequenced the chloroplast genes of Vaucheria litorea, the alga that is the sea slug’s favourite snack. They confirmed that if the sea slug used the algal chloroplasts alone, it would not have all the genes needed to photosynthesise. They then turned their attention to the sea slug’s own DNA and found one of the vital algal genes was present. Its sequence was identical to the algal version, indicating that the slug had probably stolen the gene from its food. “We do not know how this is possible and can only postulate on it,” says Rumpho, who says that the phenomenon of stealing is known as kleptoplasty. Fact Source:http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16124-solarpowered-sea-slug-harnesses-stolen-plant-genes.html Other photos you may like: Lettuce Sea Slug The Beautiful Blue-tipped Nudibranch Our Local beauties - Spanish Shawl Nudibranch Sea Slug —- My thanks to @mikeneyk for the link!

Solar Powered SEA SLUG (Elysia chlorotica) ©PNAS

Elysia chlorotica is a lurid green sea slug, with a gelatinous leaf-shaped body, that lives along the Atlantic seaboard of the US. What sets it apart from most other sea slugs is its ability to run on solar power. What this means is that starting a few weeks after birth, it eats only infrequently and get most of it’s energy from the sun.

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 photosynthesizes with genes “stolen” from the algae it eats.

In their latest experiments, Rumpho and colleagues sequenced the chloroplast genes of Vaucheria litorea, the alga that is the sea slug’s favourite snack. They confirmed that if the sea slug used the algal chloroplasts alone, it would not have all the genes needed to photosynthesise.

They then turned their attention to the sea slug’s own DNA and found one of the vital algal genes was present. Its sequence was identical to the algal version, indicating that the slug had probably stolen the gene from its food.

“We do not know how this is possible and can only postulate on it,” says Rumpho, who says that the phenomenon of stealing is known as kleptoplasty.

Fact Source:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16124-solarpowered-sea-slug-harnesses-stolen-plant-genes.html

Other photos you may like:

Lettuce Sea Slug

The Beautiful Blue-tipped Nudibranch

Our Local beauties - Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

Sea Slug

—-

My thanks to @mikeneyk for the link!

Notes

  1. moss-piglets reblogged this from animalworld
  2. myxosporidia reblogged this from animalworld
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  4. heliosyselene reblogged this from animalworld and added:
    Hoy, en Animales que sorprenden, Elysa chlorotica, que se ha ganado un puesto en mi corazón justo después que Metasepia...
  5. d34th4ndc0tt0nc4ndy reblogged this from animalworld
  6. the-depths reblogged this from animalworld
  7. lounge-fly reblogged this from lolawasthecat
  8. thetenthlifeguard reblogged this from seatopia
  9. seatopia reblogged this from animalworld
  10. polar-bear reblogged this from do-over and added:
    I think science got the names wrong - if anything should be “nudibranch”, it’s this, not the other feathery-looking ‘sea...
  11. lolawasthecat reblogged this from areyouhappyenough
  12. redcloud reblogged this from do-over and added:
    You know, I bet you could sauté some of these in garlic and butter and they’d be pretty good.
  13. do-over reblogged this from animalworld and added:
    I’m just going to put this here and wait for the responses.
  14. 13cavities reblogged this from animalworld
  15. bakingbaked reblogged this from areyouhappyenough
  16. shainagrace reblogged this from animalworld and added:
    No way! Thats amazing!
  17. rainbowbabylon reblogged this from psilocymian
  18. areyouhappyenough reblogged this from psilocymian
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