A MP2Lab study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences was highlighted in Nature and The Economist.

This study shows that sacoglossan sea slugs use compounds resulting from photosynthesis to boost their reproductive investment. Using labelled inorganic carbon and nitrogen, we track products of photosynthesis in the reproductive organs of slugs and in polyunsaturated fatty acids with reproductive functions. We show that the fecundity is lower when photosynthesis is inhibited. This work confirms the relevance of this unique association between an animal and a plant organelle for the evolutionary success of these sea slugs.