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Insectivorous plants, often known as carnivorous plants, are plants that have evolved specifically for capturing and eating insects and other animals using clever pitfalls and traps. These plants are known as “carnivorous” because they attract, catch, and absorb nutrition from animals. This trophic (feeding) mechanism is assumed to have developed in response to poor growth circumstances, notably nitrogen-deficient soils.
Carnivorous plants are classified based on their taxonomy or the sort of trapping mechanism they use. These traps include flypaper snap, bladder, pitfalls etc.
Carnivorous plants use a variety of techniques to attract their prey, just like other plants that need to attract other organisms for things like pollination. Some have a pleasant aroma, some are brilliantly coloured, and others may have sticky or slippery portions or are built in a way that makes it difficult for prey to escape.
EXAMPLES OF INSECTIVORES PLANTS
- PITCHER PLANT
Pitcher plant, also known as Nepenthes plant, is a kind of carnivorous plant. Pitcher Plant gets its name from its pitcher-shaped leaves. Pitfall Traps are a special type of leaf on this plant. These traps release a sweet pigment that draws insects in and captures them inside a large cavity. The digesting fluids in the cavity digests the insects and provides nutrients to the plant.
The most typical food for this insectivorous plant is flies and insects. The pitfall trap will have a slippery surface. When the nectar attracts the bug, it leads them to the trap, where they fall into the cavity. On the interior side of the chamber, some species have hair-like structures or waxed surfaces so that the insects cannot climb up the hairs or wax surface. Once the bug enters the cavity, the liquid in the cavity digests it and changes it to an essential form, which helps in the plant’s growth. These plants thrive on soil that is deficient in minerals or is acidic. As a result, they get the nutrients they need by digesting the insects.
- VENUS FLYTRAP
Another plant that falls to the insectivorous plants category is the Venus Flytrap. It functions as a trap with its claw-like shape and lengthy finger-like protrusions on the leaf terminals. Small hairs on the inner side of the trap are sensitive to the movement of the insects. The system can tell the difference between real prey and false stimulations. For the trap to close, the hair-like patterns on the inner section must be triggered at least twice. As soon as the insects stimulate the hairs t he trap closes and the insects are trapped within. If the prey moves inside the trap or tries to escape, the trap tightens and the digestive process becomes more active. The trap usually opens in 12 hours while waiting for the next prey to be trapped.
Some Venus flytrap plants are completely green, while others have shades of red on the inside of the trap. The main food of this insectivorous plant are beetles, crawling insects, spiders, and other terrestrial insects. Apart from insects, this plant may also catch flies. Since the soil in which they grow is devoid of nutrition, they rely on the nutrients provided by the insects to flourish.
- DROSERA/ SUNDEW
Another insectivorous plant is Drosera, sometimes known as Sundew. It is the largest carnivorous species genera. This species contains about 124 different variations. Sundew plants use glands on the surface of their leaves to catch insects and digest them. On the glands, tentacles will be present, with sticky fluid at the tip of the tentacles. These tentacles catch insects that are sitting on the leaves and gradually digest them by rolling them in the leaves.
This insectivorous plant preys on the majority of terrestrial and flying insects. The digesting liquid released at the tip of the tentacles draws insects to the sundew plant, trapping them in the process. The insects mistake it for nectar and come to drink it. However, they get caught in the trap of the Drosera plant. Once the bug is caught in the sticky tentacles, the leaf folds, rolls, and digests the insect. This kind of plant may be found in coastal Australia’s Wallums, South Africa’s Fynbos, and several European nations such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Characteristics of Insectivorous Plants
Nitrogen Deficiency
Insectivorous plants are cultivated in nitrogen-deficient soil, and as a result, they do not get adequate nitrogen. As a result, they tend to entrap the insects and digest them, treating them as food, in order to meet their nitrogen needs.
Attractants
Another distinguishing feature of insectivorous plants is their vibrant and lustrous appearance. These plants have a stunning appearance, which serves as a lure to attract insects. They frequently have nectar and a pleasant odour, both of which help to attract insects.
CONCLUSION
There are hundreds of different plant species that have evolved to catch insects and other small animals using clever pitfalls and traps, as well as breakdown nitrogen-rich animal proteins to gain nutrition. All carnivorous plants are photosynthetic, and these characteristics allow them to thrive in environments that are otherwise harsh or unfavourable. The majority of them may be found in moist heaths, bogs, swamps, and muddy or sandy beaches where there is plenty of water but nitrogenous elements are sparse or inaccessible due to acid or other unfavourable soil conditions. The visible trapping mechanism (modification of leaves) which can be passive or active attracts the prey’s attention.
