• Featured
  • News
    • National
    • International
    • Politics
  • Tech
    • Apple
    • Mobile
    • Android
    • Internet
    • Wearables
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Photography
  • Reviews
CryBytes
CryBytes
  • Featured
  • News
    • National
    • International
    • Politics
  • Tech
    • Apple
      [R] Apple may include wireless AirPods with the iPhone 7 Plus

      [R] Apple may include wireless AirPods with the iPhone 7 Plus

      Apple witholds financial and tech aid from the upcoming GOP Convention

      Apple witholds financial and tech aid from the upcoming GOP Convention

      Apple sells record breaking 74.8 million iPhones, earns $74.9B in revenue

      Apple sells record breaking 74.8 million iPhones, earns $74.9B in revenue

      Apple's iPad Air 3 won't get 3D Touch, slated for early 2016 debut

      Apple's iPad Air 3 won't get 3D Touch, slated for early 2016 debut

    • Mobile
      Asus Zenfone Max Review: A tale of 3 S'

      Asus Zenfone Max Review: A tale of 3 S'

      OnePlus 3 brings 6GB of RAM with Snapdragon 820 for just $399

      OnePlus 3 brings 6GB of RAM with Snapdragon 820 for just $399

      Yu Yunicorn with Helio x10 and 4GB RAM launched in India

      Yu Yunicorn with Helio x10 and 4GB RAM launched in India

      HTC 10 with SD820 and QHD display launched in India

      HTC 10 with SD820 and QHD display launched in India

    • Android
      Android 6.0 Marshmallow: Key Features

      Android 6.0 Marshmallow: Key Features

      After Lollipop, Say Hello to Marshmallow!

      After Lollipop, Say Hello to Marshmallow!

      Check if your Android phone is vulnerable to Stagefright

      Check if your Android phone is vulnerable to Stagefright

      Android M's easter egg is a ... shruggie?

      Android M's easter egg is a ... shruggie?

    • Internet
      How eBay India ruined my Online Shopping Experience

      How eBay India ruined my Online Shopping Experience

      Vodafone 4G services start in Delhi NCR, plans start at Rs. 11

      Vodafone 4G services start in Delhi NCR, plans start at Rs. 11

      Threat Predictions for 2016

      Threat Predictions for 2016

      Dropbox launches Dropbox Paper, an alternative to Google Docs

      Dropbox launches Dropbox Paper, an alternative to Google Docs

    • Wearables
      Google Glass team working on a new wearable sans glasses

      Google Glass team working on a new wearable sans glasses

      Apple Watch Sport now comes in Gold and Rose Gold Color Finishes along with a Fall Collection of Bands

      Apple Watch Sport now comes in Gold and Rose Gold Color Finishes along with a Fall Collection of Bands

      Fitbit brings delight to fitness enthusiasts in India

      Fitbit brings delight to fitness enthusiasts in India

      Wearable Technology: A New Trend

      Wearable Technology: A New Trend

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Photography
  • Reviews
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Instagram
Elysia chlorotica: The Great “Solar-Powered” Sea Slug
Featured
Credits: Tumblr!
Home
Research

Elysia chlorotica: The Great “Solar-Powered” Sea Slug

August 19th, 2015 shreyasw4096@gmail.com' Shreyas Raj Featured, Research comments

Share:

Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest

Also Read

Project ARA - "Lego inspired smartphone concept" February 22nd, 2015
How Women's Day Is Losing Its Actual Meaning March 8th, 2015
Using Ice cubes daily can make you young and energetic! April 7th, 2015
The basic need of every living organism is food, water and shelter. We humans still think that we are the at the pinncale of food chain! But a mollusc called Elysia chlorotica has surpassed us. Elysia is a  marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc. It is also known as sap-sucking sea slug or eastern emerald elysia. This organism is capable of producing its own food by using the same pathway the plants use - Photosynthesis . For those who might have been living under a rock during their high school biology class, here's a quick def:
Photosynthesis is a process by which green plants synthesize food(glucose) By capturing sunlight with the help of Chlorophyll.
Since they are not able to synthesize their own chlorophyll molecules , they steal these chlorophyll molecules from an algal species Vaucheria litorea. by a phenomenon known as kleptoplasty. In this phenomenon Elysia feeds on the algae vaucheria by  puncturing a hole in its cell wall through its radula, then it holds the algal strand firmly in its mouth and starts sucking out the sap like a straw. Instead of digesting everything it ingests, it  stores the chloroplasts in its own cell (Phagocytosis) through a specialized digestive system. crybytes-solar-powered-sea-slug The chloroplasts (chlorophyll containing bodies) now inside elysia's cells allow it to capture sunlight and perform photosynthesis. Juvenile elysia's are reddish-brown in colour but after acquiring chloroplasts in their cells they turn green just like plants and  this green colour helps them camouflage. it has been found that they can retain these chloroplasts in their cells for 8-10 months and when kept in dark they start turning yellow like plant leaves do! If you are still with us, you might be wondering: Why is this organism so special?  and Why is it able to retain the chloroplast and perform photosynthesis? Well, the interesting thing here is that having chloroplasts is just about 10% of the story. To actually be able to perform photosynthesis is a whole different story. There are specific genes in plants DNA that control Photosynthesis and as elysia is able to perform photosynthesis so it must mean that it also has the genes for photosynthesis. But how did it get them? Scientists think that it is due to a process known as horizontal Gene Transfer and the proof of it is the gene  psbO which is very similar to the algal gene. Due to this elysia is able to maintain the chloroplasts in its functional state for such a long period of time. So why don't we all just use this horizontal gene transfer thing and become self-dependent like elysia? The answer is because we cannot. Horizontal gene transfer is due to evolution and evolution doesn't always go the way we want it to. The gene transfer thing could have been an accident, we would never know. In horizontal gene transfer part or whole DNA of one organism gets transferred and encoded in another organisms DNA and replicates along with it so that the offsprings contain both the characteristics encoded in both the DNAs. This is usually a method of reproduction in single-celled organism and is fairly common. Think of it like Tobey Maguire's Spiderman, only a lot more complicated. horizontal gene transfer usually involves bacteriophages  and plasmids and is the reason for bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics. Elysia timida and Plankobranchus ocellatus are also found to display this phenomenon.
  • Tags
  • cryresearch
  • elysia chlorotica food
  • food chain
  • food production in mammals
  • human food production
  • photosynthesis
  • sea slug

Share:

Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest
shreyasw4096@gmail.com'

Shreyas Raj

Related Posts

Penn Study details role of Hydrogen Sulfide Gas in regulation of Autoimmune diseases Featured

Penn Study details role of Hydrogen Sulfide Gas in regulation of Autoimmune diseases

Facebook Comments

Recent Posts

  • [R] Apple may include wireless AirPods with the iPhone 7 Plus
  • “Our consumers love the fact that JD is different” : Vineet Agrawal
  • ASUS announces ‘Back to School’ on all Notebooks, Desktops and AiO’s
  • Jack Daniel’s to celebrate its 150th anniversary with a Barrel Hunt
  • Asus Zenfone Max Review: A tale of 3 S’

Recent Comments

  • Let your car talk back - Pupa Clic Technologies - App Web Smart IoT Development Pupa Clic Technologies – App Web Smart IoT Development on Meet Fuel Book, a device that will make you go ‘Why aren’t we funding this already?’
  • Yu Yunicorn with Helio x10 and 4GB RAM launched in India | CryBytes on YU Yutopia launched in India sporting a Snapdragon 810 and 2k Display
  • Samsung Galaxy J3 with 'S-Bike Mode' launched in India priced at Rs. 8,990/- | CryBytes on Coolpad Note 3 Review: Privacy on a budget
  • Asus Zenfone Zoom Review: A Pricey Camera? | CryBytes on Asus Zenfone 2 Review: Serious bang for your buck!
  • Lenovo Vibe X3 launched in India at Rs 19999/- | CryBytes on Lenovo Vibe X3 lite specifications leak

Archives

  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014

Categories

  • Amazon
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Apps
  • Automobiles
  • Bikes
  • Business
  • Electrical and Electronics
  • Entertainment
  • Facebook
  • Fashion
  • Featured
  • Games
  • Google
  • Gossip
  • Guides
  • International
  • Internet
  • Laptop
  • Microsoft
  • Mobile
  • MWC
  • National
  • News
  • Photography
  • Politics
  • Research
  • Reviews
  • Samsung
  • Social
  • Software
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Start-Ups
  • Tech
  • Tennis
  • TV
  • Uncategorized
  • Wearables

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.org
  • Featured
  • News
  • Tech
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Photography
  • Reviews
  • Back to top

Related Posts

“Our consumers love the fact that JD is different” : Vineet Agrawal

Jack Daniel's recently celebrated its 150th Anniversary in India. A huge barrel hunt was...

Jack Daniel’s to celebrate its 150th anniversary with a Barrel Hunt

Jack Daniel’s has announced that Mumbai is one of the 150 cities chosen for the Jack Daniel’s...

DSK Benelli TNT 600i is now available with ABS in India

DSK Motowheels, one of the most established and strongest players in the superbike segment, in...

“It is the people who inspire me to create such photographs” : Prakhar Tripathi

Can you tell us a little about yourself? Where do you live and where are you from? How long has...

Meet Oakter, a startup that aims to smarten your home

We have all seen and envied the availability of smart home tech in other countries. Nothing beats...

About CryBytes

CryBytes delivers to you all the latest happenings in the world, in neat byte sized posts.

© CryBytes 2015. All rights reserved.
Produced by