Scientists Discover Half-plant, Half-animal Sea Slug

[Raiden]

Sea slug surprise: It’s half-plant, half-animal

A green sea slug appears to be part animal, part plant. It's the first critter discovered to produce the plant pigment chlorophyll.

The sneaky slugs seem to have stolen the genes that enable this skill from algae that they've eaten. With their contraband genes, the slugs can carry out photosynthesis — the process plants use to convert sunlight into energy.

"They can make their energy-containing molecules without having to eat anything," said Sidney Pierce, a biologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

has been studying the unique creatures, officially called Elysia chlorotica, for about 20 years. He presented his most recent findings Jan. 7 at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Seattle. The finding was first reported by Science News.

"This is the first time that multicellar animals have been able to produce chlorophyll," Pierce told LiveScience.

The sea slugs live in salt marshes in New England and Canada. In addition to burglarizing the genes needed to make the green pigment chlorophyll, the slugs also steal tiny cell parts called chloroplasts, which they use to conduct photosynthesis. The chloroplasts use the chlorophyl to convert sunlight into energy, just as plants do, eliminating the need to eat food to gain energy.

"We collect them and we keep them in aquaria for months," Pierce said. "As long as we shine a light on them for 12 hours a day, they can survive [without food]."

The researchers used a radioactive tracer to be sure that the slugs are actually producing the chlorophyll themselves, as opposed to just stealing the ready-made pigment from algae. In fact, the slugs incorporate the genetic material so well, they pass it on to further generations of slugs.

The babies of thieving slugs retain the ability to produce their own chlorophyll, though they can't carry out photosynthesis until they've eaten enough algae to steal the necessary chloroplasts, which they can't yet produce on their own.

The slugs accomplishment is quite a feat, and scientists aren't yet sure how the animals actually appropriate the genes they need.

"It certainly is possible that DNA from one species can get into another species, as these slugs have clearly shown," Pierce said. "But the mechanisms are still unknown."

Sounds like a Pokemon.

 

[katie_girl09]

That is so gross. And cool!

 

[Majic Walrus]

Close... It's gross and more gross.

 

[Sentinel X]

Just because it has chlorophyll doesnt mean its half plant...silly article title.

 

[DarkReflections]

This is pretty damn cool.

 

[Paroxysm]

they've been around for 20 years.

 

[Aesop Rocks]

One of them saved you drom a rip tide when you were a wee lad.

You owe your life to them.

 

[Alex The Great]

So...........A slug ****ed a plant?

 

[wiegeabo]

Swamp Thing lives?

 

[Poetic Chaos]

I first read it as "half-planet, half-animal".

Disappointed to say the least.

 

[katie_girl09]

Close... It's gross and more gross.

Philistine.

 

[Majic Walrus]

Slug-lover.

 

[Metamorpho1977]

That is so gross. And cool!

but it tastes like chicken chow mein.

 

[TinkTonks]

Awww, it's kinda cute!! Well....cuter than that horrid new sand spider that someone posted in an earlier thread.

And that photosynthesis trick is pretty neat!

 

[wiegeabo]

Awww, it's kinda cute!! Well....cuter than that horrid new sand spider that someone posted in an earlier thread.

And that photosynthesis trick is pretty neat!

Indeed! Imagine how cool it would be (minus being green) if you could literally eat sunlight. Budget's a little tight this month? Give up food and spend all day on the beech.

 

[Lightning Strykez!]

It looks like a corroded Taco. Yuckers, man.

 

[wiegeabo]

I bet it looks cool when it's in motion and swimming. Like a leaf soaring on the wind.

 

[Aesop Rocks]

I bet it looks cool when it's in motion and swimming. Like a leaf soaring on the wind.

I'll never look at a leaf soaring in the wind as the same.

 

[The Battousai]

"Half-animal and half-plant"?

I wonder if Ray Comfort has already jumped on this

 

[XSpidercideX]

chlorophyll?

..more like borephyll

 

[The Battousai]

chlorophyll?

..more like borephyll

Comic genius

 

[chamber-music]

All they need to add some radioactivity to that thing and hello new superhero