The Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change

is a research museum of the Leibniz Association

Evolution and physiology of functional kleptoplasty in Sacoglossa

Date: 
Mon, 01/15/2018 - 5:15pm
Meeting point: 
Lecture haal, Zoology, Poppelsdorfer Schloss
Event type: 
Lecture
Event series: 
Colloquium on evolution and biodiversity
Target group: 
Studierende
Lecturer: 
Gregor Christa, ZFMK

Some species of the marine gastropod taxa Sacoglossa are able to retain the chloroplasts of their algae food source and keep them functional active in their own cytosol, even when the slugs starve for weeks to months to come.

This – in the animal kingdom – unique system to acquire photosynthesis is referred to as functional kleptoplasty. It is still unknown what factors are necessary to establish and maintain functional kleptoplasty. Theory has it that the slugs need to have certain physiological and genome adaptations to recognize and integrate the chloroplasts (then called kleptoplasts). This also implies that they are then  prevented from being digested.

The chloroplast itself need to bring along the ability to withstand of being isolated from their natural cellular milieu, especially in the absence of any algae nuclear encoded proteins important for plastid functionality. Here, plastid encoded mechanisms to protect against excessive light intensities and to repair the photosystem are hypothesized to be crucial for kleptoplast longevity.

Independently of the underlying mechanisms, it is often hypothesized that the slugs survive starvation periods because of continuous support of photosynthates provided by the kleptoplasts. Yet, recent analyzes showed that photosynthates first accumulate during a couple of weeks before they become accessible for the slugs. However, the potential nutritionally support of the kleptoplasts for the slugs is still controversy discussed.

Contact person

Head of Section
+49 228 9122-241
+49 228 9122-295
h.waegele [at] leibniz-zfmk.de

Colloquium on biology

Prof. Dr. A. Blanke
Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology
An der Immenburg 1, 53121 Bonn

 

Prof. Dr. A. Suh
Leibniz-Institut for the Analyses of Biodiversity Change, Museum Koenig Bonn
Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn

 

Place: Large Lecture Hall, Institute of Zoology, Poppelsdorfer Schloß or online via ZOOM

Time: mondays, 5:15 pm
 

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