mjg5 at ukc.ac.uk writes:
>> >My teachings this sester include Euglena, the mobile autotrophic protist.
> >I think that is about as close as you will come to a plant-like animal at
> >least that I have seen.
>> Well, the closest we could get to a 'plant-like, animal-like organism',
> as I do believe such microbes are classed as Protista. But anyway, it
> proves even more that there is no animal that has ever evolved its own
> means of autotrophic nutrition, let alone specifically photosynthesis!
>> Generally, all phototrophs are known to be producers and in no way
> consumers (you may like to argue this case with Venus fly traps etc.)
> And, all other 'higher' organisms depend on these very producers for
> a primary food source, whether directly or indirectly if the animal
> concerned is a carnivore. Animals have a nervous system and a higher
> metabolic activity due to this and the active organs present within,
> so therefore just face it people, the process of photosynthesis cannot
> be a sufficient energy provider for all this metabolic/catabolic activity.
>>>> Cheers fellow scientist dudes!
>>>> Marc Greener, (undergrad Biochem)
> Biological Laboratory,
> Uni of Kent.
>What about symbionts such as liches and corals working with
algae?
--
Associate Professor (Emeritus)
University of Virginia
mgk at darwin.clas.virginia.edu
