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Morphology, molecular phylogeny and photosynthetic activity of the sacoglossan mollusc, Elysia nigrocapitata, from Korea

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Abstract

The morphology, external coloration as well as the life span of a kleptoplastic mollusc, Elysia nigrocapitata, was affected by its algal diet. Among algal diets, Chaetomorpha moniligera was the best for growth but not for animal longevity. TEM studies showed several distinctive layers composed of different cell types in sectioned parapodia. The chloroplast-containing digestive cells were located beneath the layer of vacuolated cells. The digestive cells contained 10–15 chloroplasts, in varying states of intactness, and several nuclei. Chloroplasts were not enclosed by any membranous structure in the host cytosol. Chlorophyll a fluorometry showed that the photosynthetic activity of kleptoplasts in E. nigrocapitata could be maintained for a long time only when animals were kept in the dark. The photosynthetic activity of kleptoplasts lasted 3–4 days when the animals were exposed to continuous illumination of 200 μmol photons m−2 s−1. These results suggested that the contribution of kleptoplasts to the survival of the animals might be minimal if the chloroplasts are not sequestered continuously. Cox I, 16S rDNA, and 28S rDNA sequence data have been obtained in order to phylogenetically place the new species of Elysia found in Korea.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Taizo Motomura (Hokkaido University, Japan) for kindly allowing us to use the TEM facilities. Dr. Qiang Hu (Arizona State University, USA) and Dr. Nina G. Klochkova (Kamchatka State Technical University, Russia) provided very useful consultations on the subject. This study was partially funded by National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF 20120006718) to G.H. Kim. This research was supported by a grant from Extreme Genomics Program Funded by Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs of Korean Government to G.H. Kim.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Kongju National University, Kongju, 314-701, Korea

    Tatyana A. Klochkova, Jong Won Han, Kyong-Hwa Chah, Ro Won Kim & Gwang Hoon Kim

  2. Department of Oceanography, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 500-757, Korea

    Ju-Hyoung Kim & Kwang Young Kim

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  1. Tatyana A. Klochkova
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  2. Jong Won Han
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  3. Kyong-Hwa Chah
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  4. Ro Won Kim
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  5. Ju-Hyoung Kim
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  6. Kwang Young Kim
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  7. Gwang Hoon Kim
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Correspondence to Gwang Hoon Kim.

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Communicated by M. Kühl.

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Klochkova, T.A., Han, J.W., Chah, KH. et al. Morphology, molecular phylogeny and photosynthetic activity of the sacoglossan mollusc, Elysia nigrocapitata, from Korea. Mar Biol 160, 155–168 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2074-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2074-7

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