To date, sea slugs have been considered the only animals known to sequester functional
algal plastids into their own cells, via a process called “kleptoplasty.” We report here …

Some sea slugs sequester chloroplasts from algal food in their intestinal cells and
photosynthesize for months. This phenomenon, kleptoplasty, poses a question of how the …

Photosynthesizers face a trade-off regarding light: they need enough to maintain high
photosynthetic rates, yet excess leads to oxidative stress. Despite this, light and its …

Functional kleptoplasty in sacoglossan sea slugs is among the most curious photosynthetic
associations known. One member of these marine molluscs, Elysia viridis, is known to …

Background Some Sacoglossa sea slugs steal and integrate chloroplasts derived from the
algae they feed on into their cells where they continue to function photosynthetically, a …

Sacoglossan sea slugs can “steal” plastids from their food algae to use for photosynthesis
(kleptoplasty). The duration of functional kleptoplast retention differs among species, being …

Several species of sacoglossan sea slugs are able to sequester chloroplasts from algae and
incorporate them into their cells. However, the ability to maintain functional “stolen” plastids …

Abstract Nudibranch mollusks (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) are widely known for their
ability to incorporate some active biochemical compounds of their prey, or even organelles …

Solar-powered sea slugs are the only known metazoans capable of stealing functional
chloroplasts from their algal food, retaining them for months while staving off death by …

Evolution is a competitive game and cheating wins against fair competition. If one group
cheats successfully, then that group gains an advantage and the other groups need to find a …