First evidence for photosynthesis in insects

nature.com

85 points·ananyob··7 comments

This is not unprecedented in animals, green sea slugs are capable of making use of the chloroplasts in the algae they eat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysia_chlorotica

Right;the novelty is aphids actually produce the caratenoids, they don't eat them.

"The body colour of Robichon's lab aphids is affected by environmental conditions, with the cold favouring green aphids, optimal conditions resulting in orange ones and white ones appearing when the population is large and faced with limited resources....Green aphids, which contain high levels of carotenoids, make significantly more ATP than do white ones, which are almost devoid of these pigments."

Assuming the photosynthetic aphid hypothesis this makes for an interesting positive feedback loop with analogies in economics - when energy levels fall below a critical threshold the aphids are unable to synthesise the "metabolically expensive" cartenoids.

Just curious: why isn't the making of vitamin D by the human skin called photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis is predominantly powered by red and blue visible light. The manufacture of Vitamin D in our skin is triggered by UV. Also in humans Vitamin D is not an energy source, unlike the sugars commonly produced by photosynthesis in plants.

Thanks. This article is also clear about the differences: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photochemistry

They corrected the title: "Photosynthesis-like process found in insects": "The original headline of the piece incorrectly implied that the researchers had discovered evidence of photosynthesis in aphids. In fact, photosynthesis requires carbon dioxide to be 'fixed' and turned into organic compounds."

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