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Microscopic view of Mesodinium rubrum.

Microscopic view of Mesodinium rubrum.
Microscopic view of Mesodinium rubrum.
Microscopic view of Mesodinium rubrum.
Microscopic view of Mesodinium rubrum.
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295236
Johnson, Matthew
Microscopic view of Mesodinium rubrum.
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05/04/2013
IMG_0305.jpg
Image Of the Day caption:
Meet a curious single-celled organism called Mesodinium rubrum. They are shaped like 8s with hairlike cilia around them that they use to swim in the ocean. They usually graze on algae, but M. rubrum also have the capability to make their own food. They can steal organelles from the algae they eat, incorporating algal nuclei and chloroplasts inside their own cells. The pilfered organelles perform photosynthesis to make food for M. rubrum, allowing the animal to temporarily behave like a plant. WHOI biologist Matt Johnson and former WHOI postdoctoral fellow Holly Moeller study this metabolic strategy, which is called acquired phototrophy.
Photo by Matt Johnson
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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