Use the evidence in the text to select the photosynthetic organism.
The Opuntia microdasys cactus gets its green color from chlorophyll. The cactus uses the chlorophyll to capture energy from sunlight. The cactus has yellow spots made of hair-like spines that help protect it. Nembrotha cristata is a sea slug with bright green spots. This sea slug eats jellyfish and takes their stinging cells into its own body. If threatened, the sea slug then shoots out the stinging cells.
Organisms that carry out photosynthesis are called photosynthetic organisms. During photosynthesis, these organisms use light energy, carbon dioxide, and water to produce sugars and oxygen.
Photosynthetic organisms also often have the following characteristics:
They are producers, which are organisms that make their own food inside their cells. Because producers make their own food, they typically do not eat other organisms.
Their cells contain chloroplasts, which are cell structures where photosynthesis occurs.
Their chloroplasts often contain a green substance called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll captures light energy from the Sun to power photosynthesis.
They use the sugars they produce during photosynthesis as food. This food provides energy that helps the organisms live, grow, and reproduce.
This organism is photosynthetic:
The text tells you that the Opuntia microdasys cactus has chlorophyll. This is evidence that the Opuntia microdasys cactus is a photosynthetic organism.
This organism is not photosynthetic:
The text does not provide evidence that the Nembrotha cristata sea slug is photosynthetic.