As you are swimming in the ocean you stumble across a bright

As you are swimming in the ocean, you stumble across a bright green sea slug. Which defining characteristic of animals does the sea slug (Elysia chlorotica) ALMOST violate?

Question 23 options:

presence of a blastula and gastrula

lack of a cell wall

true tissues

metabolism

heterotrophy

Solution

The correct answer is the last option, i.e. heterotrophy. Elysia chlorotica derives and stores chloroplasts obtained from sea algae inside them. These chloroplasts are \"reared\" inside the slug for up to 1 year. During this period, the chloroplasts perform photosynthesis and the slug lives on \'photosynthesis\' by deriving energy directly from sunlight. It is therefore, ALMOST an autotroph.