Stealing Genes

Elysia chlorotica is a lurid green sea slug. It appears similar to other sea slugs, but is set apart by its ability to photosynthesise. However it photosynthesises with genes stolen from the algae it eats. It aqquires the chloroplats from the algae and stores them in gut cells. If fed algae for two weeks when young, they can liven their whole life without eating. However chloroplasts only contain 10% of the DNA needed to keep themselves running. tho other DNA is stored in the algaes nuclear DNA.

The slug and algae share identical genes for photosynthesis, indicating that the slug stole the algal gene, but it isn't fully understood how this happens. It's been proposed that the slug takes the specific genes it needs for photosynthesis in along with chloroplasts. Suprisingly, the genes that it takes in are found in the gametes, meaning the ability to maintain functional chloroplasts could be passed to the nest generation.