Question

Assume that some members of an aquatic species of motile, photosynthetic protists evolve to become parasitic to fish. They gain the ability to live in the fish gut, absorbing nutrients as the fish digest food. Overtime, which of the following phenotypic changes would you expect to observe in the population of protists?a.) gain of meiosisb.) loss of mobilityc.) loss of chloroplastsd.) no changes would be expectede.) gain a rigid cell wall

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer is C: loss of chloroplasts.

Explanation:

The parasite would lose chloroplasts. As they absorb nutrients from the fish digest food in the gut of the animal, parasites do not need to photosynthesize any more. There are some parasites in the fishes digestive tract that conserve their motile capacity by keeping their flagellum or cilium. Some species get their membranes thicker for protection in their interaction with the host, and they can also secrete a special capsule.  In general, these organisms reproduce asexually.