Question: Are there any insects which are able to photosynthesize and respire at the same time ?

Tom Dally answered on 6 Mar 2020: last edited 6 Mar 2020 2:31 am

This is a great question, because there actually might be! Photosynthesis, where sunlight is used to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen, only really occurs in plants, algae, and bacteria. But there is some evidence that a species of aphid might do something similar. Plants use pigments called carotenoids to help absorb sunlight for photosynthesis, and aphids are one of the few types of animal that can create their own carotenoids. Scientists think that these pigments might help the aphids create additional energy (produce more ATP) in their cells than by respiration alone. It isn’t exactly photosynthesis, because that would also require carbon dioxide, but it could be similar.