matty Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I thought this was really cool: http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2008/12/28/solarpowered-green-sea-slug-steals-ability-to-photosynthesis/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombertech Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 That is pretty cool, thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorge Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 As a biology student this is amazing!! Thanks for sharing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badxgillen Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 These guys have been around in the trade for some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badxgillen Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I think I still have an Elysia Crispata lettuce slug in one of my tanks right now. Always thought they were interesting little guys but so are all of the sea slugs and nudibranchs. Only in our hobby would some one be able to have such biological diversity in ones own living room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 This one is Elysia chlorotica, they are different than the common lettuce slug, or no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badxgillen Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Yeah they are different slugs, I was just saying that these 2 and I believe one other have already been know to have the ability to utilize another algae\plants means of photosynthesis. There must be a breakthrough in the mapping of the genome or something along those lines.Actually I believe this was a cool thing from that article that caught my eye. Mary Rumpho from the University of Maine discovered the key to the partnership – the sea slug has also stolen vital genes from the algae that allows it to use the borrowed chloroplast. It has found a way to patch its own genome to make it photosynthesis-compatible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandinga Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 (edited) Am I the only person laughing at the notion that a sea slug figured out how to use chloroplast in its DNA as a means of survival? It's a friggin sea slug...it was designed to work this way...and it does:) $.02 Thanks for sharing Matty, very neat little intricate creature. Edited February 9, 2015 by Mandinga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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