this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 154 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 children)

Kinda but not quite:

Costasiella kuroshimae are capable of a physiological process called kleptoplasty, in which they retain the chloroplasts from the algae they feed on. Absorbing the chloroplasts from algae then enables them to indirectly perform photosynthesis.[6]

Source: Costasiella kuroshimae

[–] [email protected] 63 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

And I'm pretty sure there are also jellyfish that live in symbyosis with algae that they carry along with them which photosynthesize, creating sugars for the jellyfish.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

homo sapiens is known to use photosynthesis through symbiotic relationships with various grasses to create sugars, lipids, and proteins for itself

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Eh, that's a few dozen steps removed. By that standard, every herbivore "uses" photosynthesis.

These guys (coral & lichen too) use photosynthesis much more directly, completely encapsulating the algea and supporting it internally. It's much closer to mitochondria.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

True haha, thats a good distinction. I'm just joking here.

Kind of interesting that chloroplasts in plants seem to be a sort of symbiosis as well, like mitochondria, considering the cell walls around them.

[–] deltapi 2 points 1 month ago

Yes, they are distinct organelles with their own DNA, so you are spot on with the comparison to mitochondria

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So vampire photosynthesis.

That’s metal af.

[–] CptEnder 1 points 1 month ago

Or rogue photosynthesis.

Also metal af

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

The really interesting thing about costasiella kuroshimae is that its digestive system branches and goes up into all of those 'leaves', which is how the algae makes its way there to have its chloroplasts extracted.

[–] grue 9 points 1 month ago

kleptoplasty

I like how it's appropriate to call it "-plasty" twice (first in the referring to chloroplasts sense, and then again in the plastic surgery sense).

[–] blazeknave 2 points 1 month ago

So it's MegaMan?