Have you ever wondered why plants are the only organism that uses photosynthesis to get their energy? Well that isn't entirely true, thanks to a new study, yellow spotted Salamanders also use photosynthesis to their advantage. This has been suspected for a while but has finally been proven. But salamanders aren't the only animal (more on them in a sec), sea slugs corals and sponges all have a certain kind of Algae in them that transforms sunlight into sugar. Some botanists have also suggested that Aphids use this trick, but that idea is widely rejected. Back to the Salamander, have you noticed that none of the above animals are vertebrates though? So none of them are really very related to us, that is until now. Yellow Sptted Salamanders are the only vertebrae animal that uses photosynthesis. This idea has been used however since 1888 when a British biologist suggested that the yellow spotted salamander's eggs attracted a lot of mono cellular algae. In the 1940 during WWII it was found that the Algae within the eggs increases the growth rate, making the young Salamanders much stronger and more likely to survive. In 2011 however was when the real discovery was made. It was discovered that they actually store the Algae within the cells of the embryo providing oxygen and glucose through photosynthesis. Essentially a second way of getting energy, like a solar panel. This particular branch of Algae also can't survive without the embryo turning into dormant cysts when not in use by the Salamanders. Now that it has been proven that one vertebrae who lays eggs in the water uses photosynthesis, scientists speculate that many other, similar animals may use it too.
MLA Citation: Marshall, Michael. "Zoologger: The First Solar-powered Vertebrate." NewScientist. N.p., 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2013.
This is so cool! I didn't know salamanders used photosynthesis! Also very descriptive and good explanation...a little hard for me to understand. :-P
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