Who would’ve imagined a lowly sea slug boasting a radiant color, beautiful name and solar- power? I present him to you, Constant Reader, in this month’s CTR message.

Imagine if, after eating spinach, your skin cells glowed green. This guy accomplishes the task as a way to store energy to last during lean times. Part animal yet part plant due to chloroplasts actually incorporated into his chromosomes, the EEE is only about half the length of a crayon, and lives along the eastern U.S. coast.

Instead of slugging it out with traffic all alone, Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) methods are here for you:

o Carpool or vanpool. Sluggish traffic will NOT get you down, oh no. You’ll learn which departments do what, how do they do it, what it’s like to work there, and you might become green with envy because you’d like to work there. o Ride the Intercity bus. You’ll positively glow when you ride the roads for FREE just by showing your County ID. Yes, Virginia (and all County employees by any other name,) there IS a completely free commute for you. o Ride a human-powered bicycle or walk to work if you live close enough. Choose the greenest CTR method and get fit, in the bargain. o Plop & Ride by riding your bike to a bus stop, plop it on the bus front then take the bus to work (for free!) See the previous two items. o Adjusted work week (4-10’s, 8-9’s, etc.) or Telecommute if your department allows. Who wouldn’t want to (chloro)plast-er themselves to the sofa an extra day or two of the week? Check with department management regarding availability of this alternate commute option.

If you commuted by any means other than driving alone at least twice in October, you could be one of four winners of a prize almost as valuable as emeralds. Check ‘em out: a stylish reusable grocery bag, magnetic fridge list, or Rubbermaid storage container. Last month’s winners: Nathaniel Kale of Water Resources, Phuong Nguyen of Public Health, Jeanne Kinney of Public Works, and Jeff Killelea of Water Resources Here’s how you enter: Fill out the quick and easy log on Sharepoint at http://home/dept/cs/admin/ctrlogforms/Forms/template.xsn?OpenIn=Browser , then hit OPEN, then wait….for….it, then it appears. If you have a problem with the link, open the attachment to this e-mail, fill out the log the old-fashioned way, then send by email (preferred) or print it out and send by internal mail to B1-BA, Linda. If you want to view or modify the Sharepoint log you just submitted, click: http://home/dept/cs/admin/ctrlogforms/Forms/MyItems.aspx.

Eastern Emerald Elysia (Elysia chlorotica)

Elysia chlorotica P\photo by EOL Learning & Education Group

Elysia chlorotica is a medium-sized green sea slug of the Plakobranchidae family. Elysia chlorotica is a partially solar-powered slug that sequesters and retains active chloroplasts from the Vaucheria litorea algae it eats. During the feeding process, it first punctures the algal cell wall with its radula. The slug then holds the algae firmly in its mouth and, sucks out the contents. Instead of digesting the entire cell it retains the algal chloroplasts, by storing them within its own cells throughout its digestive system. The incorporation of chloroplasts within the cells of the slug allows it to capture energy directly from light, like most plants do, through photosynthesis. In periods where algae is not readily available as a food supply, the species may be able to survive for months on the sugars produced through the photosynthesis done by the incorporated chloroplasts.

Thank you to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2939249/The-solar-powered-SLUG- Creature-steals-genes-algae-eats-photosynthesise-like-leaf.html#ixzz501eXIjz1

The solar-powered slug steals genes from the algae it eats to photosynthesize like a leaf

 Biologists found Elysia chlorotica has hijacked a gene from green algae  The slug lives in shallow waters off the east coast of the United States  It uses the gene to maintain chloroplasts it steals from the algae it eats  The slug uses the chloroplasts to create nutrients from the sun's energy  Scientists want to understand how the slug is able to use plant genes  They believe it could help to develop new treatments for genetic diseases

A bright green sea slug has been found to have stolen genes from the algae it eats so that it can produce energy from sunlight just like plants. The slug, called the eastern emerald elysia or Elysia chlorotica, has incorporated genes from algae into its own chromosomes enabling it to photosynthesis. This process essentially allows the slug to become solar powered, using the sun's energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into the nutrients it needs to survive.

Researchers behind the discovery believe it may be possible to use this form of genetic hijacking between species to create new types of medical treatment for genetic diseases in humans. Professor Sidney Pierce, a biologist at the University of South Florida and the University of Maryland, said: 'There is no way on earth that genes from an alga should work inside an animal cell, and yet here, they do. 'They allow the animal to rely on sunshine for its nutrition, so if something happens to their food source, they have a way of not starving to death until they find more algae to eat. 'Figuring out the mechanism of this naturally occurring gene transfer could be extremely instructive for future medical applications.' If it is possible to understand how the slug manages to use these plant genes may allow new types of genes from other species to be used to treat human diseases. Elysia chlorotica is found in shallow pools and salt marshes along the east coast of the United States, particularly in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida and Texas Juveniles are usually a reddish-brown colour before they begin feeding on algae. It has been known since the 1970s that the Elysia chlorotica is able to incorporate chloroplasts from algae into its own cells, turning them bright green. Chloroplasts are tiny capsules of biological machinery, or organelles, inside green leaves that use sunlight to power chemical reactions that plants need to survive. The slug sucks the sap out of the algae Vaucheria litorea and embeds into the cells of its digestive system, and is then able to use these chloroplasts to produce carbohydrates and lipids for itself for up to nine months.