One of nature’s strangest symbioses gives up its secrets
An animal has added bits of algae to its reproductive system
UNLIKE THEIR terrestrial cousins, sea slugs are widely regarded as among the most beautiful animals on Earth. In some cases, part of that beauty comes from subcellular structures called chloroplasts, which they extract intact from the algae they eat and then sequester in gut diverticula for purposes of their own.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Sea slugs and chloroplasts”
From the October 9th 2021 edition
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