Q7 - Elysia Kleptoplasty and Regeneration
Elysia marginata is a marine gastropod. Its digestive tract is found in the usual place for gastropods. E. marginata performs kleptoplasty, the ability to hold chloroplasts derived from food and keep them in its body.
Recently, scientists found another unusual feature of this species; after autotomy (self-removal of a part of the body) one of the pieces may regenerate a body.
Scientists noticed body regeneration only in individuals with kleptoplasty.
True or False?
Q7.1. The observation suggests that most of the body of Elysia marginata may die except for the head after autotomy.
Q7.2. In the initial phase of body regeneration, energy is obtained from the digestion of food in the digestive tract.
Q7.3. Kleptoplasty, the relationship between chloroplasts and Elysia marginata, is a form of symbiosis.
Q7.4. Kleptoplasty is indispensable for the survival of an individual after autotomy.
Question reproduced from IBO 2023, Theoretical Paper 2, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 - attributed to the International Biology Olympiad. Open the full exam PDF