Salamander Has Algae Living Inside Its Cells

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/04/symbiotic-salamander/

by lotusleaf1987 • 15 years ago

41 5 15 years ago

w1ntermute• 15 years ago

See the endosymbiotic theory[0] for info on a similar phenomenon. In this case, however, the "inner" organism is eukaryotic as well. Not sure what kind of effect that has on the dynamics of intracellular transport processes, but it should be interesting to find out.

0: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Endosymbiotic...

Groxx• 15 years ago

Very cool, but what is with that video? It's worthless, 30 seconds of the same thing as the second image at the start of the post.

Iris• 15 years ago

If you watch carefully you can see the salamander embryo changing shape - becoming a bit more egg-shaped intead of round. And you can also notice, near the end, the deposit of algae on the side, before they enter the egg. I'm pretty sure that's what it is meant to demonstrate.

presidentender• 15 years ago

The most important thing isn't the fact that these Salamanders have photosynthesis capabilities, it's that they don't have to eat any algae to get those cells. They're passed down, generation to generation. There's a sea slug that robs algae of chloroplasts, then uses those chloroplasts for photosynthesis, and may go the rest of its life without eating. The slug, however, has to eat some algae at the beginning of its life.

If the linked article makes mention of salamander photosynthesis, I do not see it. Therefore, it will be valuable to coordinate these two lanes of research, to end up with a genetically photosynthetic animal.

Sea slug link: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16124-solarpowered-sea...

blazenomad• 15 years ago

"Kerney stresses that, contrary to some media reports on the symbiosis, spotted salamanders are not photosynthetic."

This appears to be different than the sea slugs photosynthetic capabilities.

Salamander Has Algae Living Inside Its Cells

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