Date: 12/01/2025 12:58:37
From: dv
ID: 2236012
Subject: Kleptoplasty

Lichens and corals have a bit in common. They are both cases of symbiosis between a non-photosynthetic lifeform and a photsynthetic lifeform. In the case of coral, the NPL is an animal: in the case of lichens, a fungus.

Kleptoplasty is a bit different: the photosynthetic lifeform is consumed or otherwise destroyed, and the consumer then hosts their photosynthetic organelles “plastids”, which can live on for months, providing the beastie with chemical energy.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098222300324X

What is kleptoplasty? It’s when heterotrophs steal chloroplasts from algae and incorporate them into their cytosol. This is quite fascinating since heterotrophs do not usually have chloroplasts. Some heterotrophs go even further — their stolen chloroplasts (kleptoplasts) stay photosynthetic for weeks to months. This phenomenon is called functional kleptoplasty (or plastid symbiosis), and the heterotrophs are then sometimes referred to as photosynthetic. Functional kleptoplasty is a unique example of photosymbiosis (symbiosis between heterotrophs and phototrophs) because it only involves one organism and an organelle of a different organism — the chloroplasts — and not, as usual, two organisms.

Elysia chlorotica (the eastern emerald elysia) is one such, a solar powered sea slug that looks rather like a leaf.

The papers refer to this all as photosymbiosis, but I think it is a bit odd to call it this, as the heterotroph gets a free powerpack and the autotroph gets to be eaten and go to autograph heaven. “It’s the circle … the circle of life.”

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Date: 12/01/2025 13:11:25
From: Ian
ID: 2236017
Subject: re: Kleptoplasty

Nice

What’s it taste like?

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Date: 12/01/2025 13:19:54
From: SCIENCE
ID: 2236020
Subject: re: Kleptoplasty

so they’re greenwashing it like how slavery was actually a chance to travel the world and get a job

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Date: 12/01/2025 13:52:53
From: Michael V
ID: 2236032
Subject: re: Kleptoplasty

See also:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidocyte

“Certain types of sea slugs, such as the nudibranch aeolids, are known to undergo kleptocnidy (in addition to kleptoplasty), whereby the organisms store nematocysts of digested prey at the tips of their cerata.”

and:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidosac

eg: Glaucus spp.

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Date: 12/01/2025 13:57:11
From: dv
ID: 2236035
Subject: re: Kleptoplasty

SCIENCE said:

so they’re greenwashing it like how slavery was actually a chance to travel the world and get a job

Lol

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Date: 12/01/2025 13:58:04
From: dv
ID: 2236036
Subject: re: Kleptoplasty

Michael V said:


See also:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidocyte

“Certain types of sea slugs, such as the nudibranch aeolids, are known to undergo kleptocnidy (in addition to kleptoplasty), whereby the organisms store nematocysts of digested prey at the tips of their cerata.”

and:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidosac

eg: Glaucus spp.

Kleptocnidy is fun to say but it is a brutal world out there for sure.

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Date: 12/01/2025 14:10:16
From: Michael V
ID: 2236039
Subject: re: Kleptoplasty

dv said:


Michael V said:

See also:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidocyte

“Certain types of sea slugs, such as the nudibranch aeolids, are known to undergo kleptocnidy (in addition to kleptoplasty), whereby the organisms store nematocysts of digested prey at the tips of their cerata.”

and:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidosac

eg: Glaucus spp.

Kleptocnidy is fun to say but it is a brutal world out there for sure.

We found a gorgeous Glaucus down at the beach. It was tiny (around 10 mm long), but no way was I going to handle it. I guess they get their substantial blue colour from bluebottles also. Along with their silver colour, they really are gorgeous.

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Date: 12/01/2025 15:30:23
From: dv
ID: 2236072
Subject: re: Kleptoplasty

Michael V said:


dv said:

Michael V said:

See also:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidocyte

“Certain types of sea slugs, such as the nudibranch aeolids, are known to undergo kleptocnidy (in addition to kleptoplasty), whereby the organisms store nematocysts of digested prey at the tips of their cerata.”

and:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidosac

eg: Glaucus spp.

Kleptocnidy is fun to say but it is a brutal world out there for sure.

We found a gorgeous Glaucus down at the beach. It was tiny (around 10 mm long), but no way was I going to handle it. I guess they get their substantial blue colour from bluebottles also. Along with their silver colour, they really are gorgeous.

It was finna klep your plasts

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Date: 12/01/2025 22:51:32
From: wookiemeister
ID: 2236171
Subject: re: Kleptoplasty

dv said:


Michael V said:

See also:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidocyte

“Certain types of sea slugs, such as the nudibranch aeolids, are known to undergo kleptocnidy (in addition to kleptoplasty), whereby the organisms store nematocysts of digested prey at the tips of their cerata.”

and:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnidosac

eg: Glaucus spp.

Kleptocnidy is fun to say but it is a brutal world out there for sure.


Kleptocindy

I think i knew her at school

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