Q&A
ECOLOGY
Other than coral, do any animals photosynthesise?
A handful do. After grazing on algae, some sea slugs retain the chloroplasts (tiny photosynthetic structures) and these are engulfed by their own cells. They also assimilate some of the algal genes, enabling them to produce chlorophyll. The slugs have been recorded using the pilfered structures to sustain themselves for up to 10 months, earning them the nickname ‘solar-powered sea slugs’.
So far, only one vertebrate is known to have a comparable association with algae – the spotted salamander. Soon after being laid, the salamander’s eggs are colonised by algae, which turn the gelatinous spheres green. The algae appear to thrive on waste, such as ammonia produced by the developing salamander embryos, and in turn provide oxygen and carbon. This enables the embryos to develop faster, increasing their survival rates. The algae more or less disappear by the time the larvae hatch, so the partnership appears temporary. Laurie Jackson
BEHAVIOUR
Do other animals have wars?
The author John
