Did you know that some organisms, from protists to sea slugs, steal photosynthesis? This week Dr. Matt Johnson is on the podcast to talk about his work on kleptoplasty, the process by which organisms steal plastids (photosynthetic organelles) from other organisms to become photosynthetic. These special cells with stolen plastids are mixotrophs, that is, they can both eat food and produce their own from solar energy. Matt discusses why kleptoplasty and mixotrophy are special processes that aren't as rare as we might think and how they affect the ocean and planet. He also talks about ciliates, a very enigmatic group of protists that he uses to study mixotrophy. And listen all the way through for a crash course on the Grateful Dead!

Matt is an associate scientist with tenure at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. You can follow his work on his Google Scholar page or website.

To learn more about ciliates, other protists, and kleptoplasty:

1. Foissner user-friendly guide to ciliate identification (1996)
2. Open source protist illustrations by Keeling and Eglit (2023)
3. Nat Geo "Solar-Powered Sea Slugs" article

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The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of any institution.