Green People

[Mahlon G. Kelly]

bsheaff at epix.net  writes:
> 
>    I have entered this newsgroup at my own risk to ask what may be a
> stupid simple or bizarre question. 
> 
>    Why are there no higher photosynthetic animals? It would seem to me as
> a layman, that it would be an evolutionary advantage to be able to m.y.o.
> food. It would also seem that this cellular organelle could be an
> advantage during hard times  and that also much animal waste could be
> effectively used by a photosynthetic process. I thought that maybe the
> division of the two groups (plants and animals) occurred early enough to
> prevent the combination form, but that is the only idea I can come up
> with.
> 
>                                  Thanks
>                         
>                                  Braxton
                                                                                                                                                                                   |             Bill Sheaffer <Braxton>                   |                      |                                                    

That is not a stupid question. There are, of course, symbionts
with animals. Most notably zooxanthellae, which are algae
symbiotic with various groups, such as corals and the "giant
clam" tridacna. 
-- 
Associate Professor (Emeritus)
University of Virginia
mgk at darwin.clas.virginia.edu