Solar-Powered Sea Slugs Live Like PlantsNovember 26, 2008The lowly sea slug, "Elysia chlorotica," may not seem like the most exciting of creatures, but don't be fooled: it behaves like a plant and is solar-powered, says a Texas A&M University biologist who has been studying these tiny creatures for the past decade and, along with collaborators from several universities, has identified a possible cause of their ability to behave like plants. Biology professor James Manhart is a member of a research group that believes they have identified some of the secrets of the sea slug and its curious plant-like behavior. These research findings have been published in the current issue of "Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences" with an image of a green slug gracing the cover. Manhart says plants can be compared to solar-powered machines-their cells contain tiny organelles called plastids that trap sunlight and convert it into energy by a process known as photosynthesis. Animals, on the other hand, depend on plants or other animals for their energy needs.
The sea slug, however, works a little differently. Its main food source is a specific type of alga. "It makes a cut in the alga, sucks out the cytoplasm [the material inside the alga] and digests most of it," explains Manhart. But there's a twist-it retains the plastids that trap the solar energy. These plastids remain in the slug, continue to photosynthesize and provide food for the slug. In effect, the creature becomes a solar-powered slug and is able to make its own food like plants do. "Photosynthesis needs around 2,000 to 3,000 genes, and animals do not have many of the critical genes," says Manhart. So Manhart and his co-workers looked into how the plastids consumed by the slug can continue photosynthesizing. "We found that the slug has at least one gene required for photosynthesis in its nuclear genome, which has never been found in any animal," says Manhart. "The critical thing is the plastids come from the alga, but the slug nucleus contains at least one, and probably more of the genes required for plastid functioning," he adds "The slug needs the alga to mature and complete its life cycle," Manhart says. "It is totally dependent on the alga to survive. Once the slug has acquired a sufficient amount of plastids it can survive, like plants, for at least nine months by trapping solar energy and converting it into food." That means the "baby" slugs are born with genes that support photosynthesis, but they have to gather their own plastids. Manhart says that if the slug and the alga both brave the ever-changing climatic conditions, the slug might evolve into a truly photosynthetic animal-that is, one born with the plastids. But that might be looking too far into the future. For now, he says, the next step would be sequencing the slug's genome. Texas A&M University Science News and Science Current Events Tag Cloud This tag cloud is a visual representation of term frequencies of random science news topics with common terms grouped together and emphasized by their display size. In-vitro Fertilization Quantum cryptography Cancer Drug Fusion Polio Cancer Research Down syndrome Hydrogen Peroxide Heart Disease Chimpanzee Calorie restriction Climate Warming Seizures Chemotherapy Influenza Vaccine Proteomics Venus Trauma Glycemic Index Hysterectomy Robots Stents Genetic Mutation Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Television
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Related Photosynthesis Current Events and Photosynthesis News Articles First step to converting solar energy using 'artificial leaf' An international team of researchers has modified chlorophyll from an alga so that it resembles the extremely efficient light antennae of bacteria. Studies shed light on collapse of coral reefs An explosion of knowledge has been made in the last few years about the basic biology of corals, researchers say in a new report, helping to explain why coral reefs around the world are collapsing and what it will take for them to survive a gauntlet of climate change and ocean acidification. NASA satellite detects red glow to map global ocean plant health Researchers have conducted the first global analysis of the health and productivity of ocean plants, as revealed by a unique signal detected by a NASA satellite. Lettuce gets a healthy suntan Salad dressing aside, a pile of spinach has more nutritional value than a wedge of iceberg lettuce. That's because darker colors in leafy vegetables are often signs of antioxidants that are thought to have a variety of health benefits. DNA of Uncultured Organisms Sequenced Using Novel Single-Cell Approach Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences have assembled high quality, contamination-free draft genomes of uncultured biodegrading microorganisms using a novel single cell genome sequencing approach. Unlikely life thriving at Antarctica's Blood Falls An unmapped reservoir of briny liquid chemically similar to sea water, but hidden under an inland Antarctic glacier, appears to support microbial life in a cold, dark, oxygen-poor environment -- a most unexpected setting to be teeming with life. Unusual Antarctic microbes live life on a previously unsuspected edge An unmapped reservoir of briny liquid chemically similar to sea water, but buried under an inland Antarctic glacier, appears to support unusual microbial life in a place where cold, darkness and lack of oxygen would previously have led scientists to believe nothing could survive, according to newly published research. Biosphere 2 experiment shows how fast heat could kill drought-stressed trees Widespread die-off of piñon pine across the southwestern United States during future droughts will occur at least five times faster if climate warms by 4 degrees Celsius, even if future droughts are no worse than droughts of the past century, scientists have discovered in experiments conducted at the University of Arizona's Biosphere 2. Genes from tiny algae shed light on big role managing carbon in world's oceans Scientists from two-dozen research organizations led by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have decoded genomes of two algal strains, highlighting the genes enabling them to capture carbon and maintain its delicate balance in the oceans. ISU researcher identifies protein that concentrates carbon dioxide in algae Increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a concern to many environmentalists who research global warming. More Photosynthesis Current Events and Photosynthesis News Articles |
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