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KOMPAS.com - Apparently this sea slug first creature whose body was half-half flora fauna. The reason is that newly discovered snail can produce pigment chlorophyll like plants. Scientists estimate this clever steal snail genes from the algae they eat so they can produce chlorophyll. With the stolen genes they can berfotosintesis, the process plants to convert sunlight into energy.
"These animals are able to make molecules contain energy without eating anything," said Sydney Pierce, biologists from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Pierce has been studying these unique creatures, which have been officially named Elysia chlorotica, for 20 years.

He filed his latest findings on January 7, 2010, at the annual meeting of the Community Integrative and Comparative Biology in Seattle. This finding was first reported by the journal Science. "This is the first multicellular animals may produce chlorophyll," said Pierce.

These sea slugs live in the swamps of salt water in New England, Canada. In addition to stealing the gene to produce the green pigment chlorophyll, these animals also stole a small parts of cells called chloroplasts, which are used to perform photosynthesis. Chloroplasts using chlorophyll to convert sunlight into energy, like plants, so that these animals do not need to eat to get energy.

"We collect a number of these animals and save them in an aquarium for months," Pierce said, "As long as the light given for 12 hours a day, they can survive (without eating)."

The researchers used a radioactive tracer to ensure that these snails actually produce chlorophyll, and not stealing from the pigment that has the algae. In fact, these snails integrate genetic material so perfect that it can be passed on to the next generation. The children of the snails that have been stolen genes can also produce chlorophyll itself, although they can not berfotosintesis before they eat enough algae that could steal enough chloroplasts. So far they have not been able kloroplasnya own production. The success of the snails was amazing, and scientists are still not sure how this animal could choose genes that they need.

"Perhaps DNA from one species can enter into another species, as has been evidenced by this snail species. But the mechanism is still unknown," said Pierce.

source: http://sains.kompas.com/read/2010/01/13/18270012/Siput.Pertama.Berbadan.Setengah.Flora.Setengah.Fauna