observations and reports

Scientists discover chlorophyll-producing sea slug that can carry out photosynthesis using genes swiped from plants. (via Bizarre sea slug is half plant, half animal | MNN - Mother Nature Network)

Not only does E. chlorotica turn sunlight into energy — something only plants can do — it also appears to have swiped this ability from the algae it consumes. Native to the salt marshes of New England and Canada, these sea slugs use contraband chlorophyll-producing genes and cell parts called chloroplasts from algae to carry out photosynthesis, says Sidney Pierce, a biologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa. That genetic material has since been passed down to the next generation, eliminating the need to consume algae for energy. However, the baby slugs can’t carry out photosynthesis until they’ve stolen their own chloroplasts, which they aren’t yet able to produce on their own, from their first and only meal of algae.