Elysia atroviridis

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Elysia atroviridis
Elysia atroviridis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Superfamily: Plakobranchoidea
Family: Plakobranchidae
Genus: Elysia
Species:
E. atroviridis
Binomial name
Elysia atroviridis
Baba, 1955 [1]
Synonyms

Elysia setoensisHamatani, 1968

Elysia atroviridis is a benthic species of sea slug belonging to the family Plakobranchidae native to the northwest pacific. [2] E. atroviridis slugs live up to three meters deep, and are generally dark green in skin colour with small, black spots all around the body. [2] E. atroviridis is a member of the superorder Sacoglossa, [3] and thus possesses the ability to perform kleptoplasty. [4] E. atroviridis and Elysia marginata are notable for possessing the ability to completely autotomize their bodies and grow them back within 20 days. [5] [6]

Contents

Kleptoplasty

Being a member of the superorder Sacoglossa, E. atroviridis is capable of kleptoplasty, [7] which is the process of taking chloroplasts from digested algae and using them for photosynthesis. [8] Kleptoplasty is performed when the slug eats algae and partially digests it, but keeps the chloroplasts intact, incorporating them into their digestive tract's tissues, which allows the chloroplasts to stay alive and contribute energy to the host via photosynthesis. [9]

Autotomy

E. atroviridis, along with E. marginata, possess the ability to completely autotomize their bodies, and survive without their heart, kidneys, reproductive organs, etc. The method they use is unknown, but it is theorized the groove on their neck which is at the location where the head detaches plays a role in the autotomy, and the aforementioned kleptoplasty plays a role in keeping the slugs alive without the digestive system, but researchers are still unsure about how they manage to stay alive without their major organs. The bodies never regrew the head, and responded to tactile stimuli, but eventually stopped and grew pale, presumably from losing chloroplasts. Older individuals after autotomy did not feed and died after 10 days. [5]

Function

The function of the autotomy is unknown. [5] In an experiment, 82 E. atroviridis specimens were infected with a parasitic copepod, and three autotomized. The researchers suggested that the slugs autotomize as a reaction to the infection. [5] Furthermore, all slugs who autotomized were infected with a parasite, and all regrew their bodies back with no parasite. [5] The autotomy could not be a response to predation, as it takes several hours to autotomize. [5] Additionally, researchers attempted to simulate a predator attack but no autotomy was attempted in the slug. [5] Other theories for the function of the autotomy include escaping algae the slugs are tangled in and removing accumulated toxic chemicals. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea slug</span> Group of marine gastropods

Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails that, over evolutionary time, have either entirely lost their shells or have seemingly lost their shells due to having a significantly reduced or internal shell. The name "sea slug" is often applied to nudibranchs and a paraphyletic set of other marine gastropods without apparent shells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacoglossa</span> Clade of gastropods

Sacoglossa are a superorder of small sea slugs and sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that belong to the clade Heterobranchia known as sacoglossans. There are 284 valid species recognized within this superorder. Sacoglossans live by ingesting the cellular contents of algae, hence they are sometimes called "sap-sucking sea slugs". Some sacoglossans simply digest the fluid which they suck from the algae, but in some other species, the slugs sequester and use within their own tissues living chloroplasts from the algae they eat, a very unusual phenomenon known as kleptoplasty, for the "stolen" plastids. This earns them the title of the "solar-powered sea slugs", and makes them unique among metazoan organisms, for otherwise kleptoplasty is known only among single-celled protists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kleptoplasty</span> Form of algae symbiosis

Kleptoplasty or kleptoplastidy is a process in symbiotic relationships whereby plastids, notably chloroplasts from algae, are sequestered by the host. The word is derived from Kleptes (κλέπτης) which is Greek for thief. The alga is eaten normally and partially digested, leaving the plastid intact. The plastids are maintained within the host, temporarily continuing photosynthesis and benefiting the host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autotomy</span> Self-amputation

Autotomy or 'self-amputation', is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards one or more of its own appendages, usually as a self-defense mechanism to elude a predator's grasp or to distract the predator and thereby allow escape. Some animals have the ability to regenerate the lost body part later. Autotomy has multiple evolutionary origins and is thought to have evolved at least nine times independently in animals. The term was coined in 1883 by Leon Fredericq.

<i>Elysia chlorotica</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia chlorotica is a small-to-medium-sized species of green sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc. This sea slug superficially resembles a nudibranch, yet it does not belong to that clade. Instead it is a member of the clade Sacoglossa, the sap-sucking sea slugs. Some members of this group use chloroplasts from the algae they eat for photosynthesis, a phenomenon known as kleptoplasty. Elysia chlorotica is one species of such "solar-powered sea slugs". It lives in a subcellular endosymbiotic relationship with chloroplasts of the marine heterokont alga Vaucheria litorea.

<i>Elysia viridis</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia viridis, the sap-sucking slug, is a small-to-medium-sized species of green sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Plakobranchidae.

<i>Elysia</i> (gastropod) Genus of gastropods

Elysia is a genus of sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Plakobranchidae. These animals are colorful sea slugs, and they can superficially resemble nudibranchs, but are not very closely related to them. Instead they are sacoglossans, commonly known as sap-sucking slugs.

<i>Elysia crispata</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia crispata, common name the lettuce sea slug or lettuce slug, is a large and colorful species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk.

<i>Elysia timida</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia timida is a species of sacoglossan sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk. Found in the Mediterranean and nearby parts of the Atlantic, it is herbivorous, feeding on various algae in shallow water.

<i>Elysia pusilla</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia pusilla is a species of small sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Plakobranchidae. It is a sacoglossan.

<i>Plakobranchus ocellatus</i> Species of gastropod

Plakobranchus ocellatus is a species of sea slug, a sacoglossan, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Plakobranchidae. It is found in shallow water in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Vaucheria litorea</i> Species of alga

Vaucheria litorea is a species of yellow-green algae (Xanthophyceae). It grows in a filamentous fashion. V. litorea is a common intertidal species of coastal brackish waters and salt marshes of the Northern Atlantic, along the coasts of Europe, North America and New Zealand. It is also found in the Eastern Pacific coasts of Washington state. It is found to be able to tolerate a large range of salinities, making it euryhaline.

<i>Bosellia mimetica</i> Species of sea slug

Bosellia mimetica is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Plakobranchidae. It is a very small sea slug growing to less than 1 centimetre (0.4 in) in length. It has a rounded, flattened body and is a mottled green, a colour that mimics that of the algae Halimeda tuna and Flabellia petiolata on which it lives and feeds. Its range includes the Mediterranean Sea, the Iberian peninsula, the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic coast of South America. The type locality is the island of Capri, in Italy.

<i>Costasiella kuroshimae</i> Species of mollusc (sea slug)

Costasiella kuroshimae—also known as a "leaf slug", or "leaf sheep"—is a species of sacoglossan sea slug. Costasiella kuroshimae are shell-less marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Costasiellidae. Despite being animals they indirectly perform photosynthesis, via kleptoplasty.

<i>Julia exquisita</i> Species of gastropod

Julia exquisita is a small species of sea snail with a green bivalve shell. It is a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Juliidae.

<i>Codium tomentosum</i> Species of alga

Codium tomentosum is a species of green seaweed in the family Codiaceae. Its common names include velvet horn and spongeweed.

<i>Elysia diomedea</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia diomedea is a species of sea slug found throughout the Pacific coast of Central America.

<i>Elysia trisinuata</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia trisinuata is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Plakobranchidae. This sea slug resembles a nudibranch but is not closely related to that order of gastropods, instead belonging to another clade, Sacoglossa, the "sap-sucking" sea slugs.

<i>Costasiella ocellifera</i> Species of gastropod

Costasiella ocellifera is a small (5–13 mm) species of sea slug, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Costasiellidae. Costasiella ocellifera, and other members of the Costasiellidae family are often mistakenly classified as nudibranchs because they superficially resemble other species of that group, but they are actually a part of the Sacoglossa superorder of sea slugs, also known as the “sap-sucking sea slugs,” "crawling leaves" or the "solar-powered sea slugs." C. ocellifera was discovered by Simroth in 1895, and was initially classified as Doto ocellifera. The Brazilian species, Costasiella liliana, is a synonym of C. ocellifera.Costasiella ocellifera shows long-term retention of functional kleptoplasty.

<i>Elysia marginata</i> Species of sea slug

Elysia marginata is a marine gastropod in the family Plakobranchidae. It is known for its ability to regenerate its whole body and heart after autotomizing it from its head.

References

  1. "Elysia atroviridis Baba, 1955". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Elysia atroviridis". www.sealifebase.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  3. "Taxonomy browser (Elysia atroviridis)".
  4. "Weird Science: Kleptoplasty | manoa.hawaii.edu/ExploringOurFluidEarth".
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mitoh, Sayaka; Yusa, Yoichi (2021). "Extreme autotomy and whole-body regeneration in photosynthetic sea slugs" (PDF). Current Biology. 31 (5): R233–R234. Bibcode:2021CBio...31.R233M. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2021.01.014. PMID   33689716.
  6. Baker, Harry. "This Sea Slug Can Chop Off Its Head and Grow an Entire New Body--Twice". Scientific American. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  7. Cruz, Sónia; Lekieffre, Charlotte; Cartaxana, Paulo; Hubas, Cédric; Thiney, Najet; Jakobsen, Sofie; Escrig, Stéphane; Jesus, Bruno; Kühl, Michael; Calado, Ricardo; Meibom, Anders (2020). "Functional kleptoplasts intermediate incorporation of carbon and nitrogen in cells of the Sacoglossa sea slug Elysia viridis". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 10548. Bibcode:2020NatSR..1010548C. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66909-7. PMC   7324368 . PMID   32601288.
  8. Cruz, Sónia; Cartaxana, Paulo (2022). "Kleptoplasty: Getting away with stolen chloroplasts". PLOS Biology. 20 (11): e3001857. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001857 . PMC   9642861 . PMID   36346789.
  9. "Weird Science: Kleptoplasty | manoa.hawaii.edu/ExploringOurFluidEarth". manoa.hawaii.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-25.

Further reading