TdF suggested – Eduardo Victor
She has a stomach, yes! The trap that captures prey acts as a digestive chamber. Most of the more than 700 identified species of carnivorous plants feed on insects, which is why they are also called insectivorous plants. There are, however, few larger species, about half a meter long, capable of imprisoning frogs and birds. Men, on the other hand, are not part of the diet: if you put your finger on the leaves of a carnivore, it will close and then open. The greatest source of energy for insectivores, however, is not meat, but photosynthesis, like any plant. The prey serves as a nutritional complement, helping to meet the need for nitrates and phosphates, which are scarce in the acidic and poor soils in which the carnivores live.
Wild instinct
Digestion can last up to 12 days, depending on the species and size of the plant and prey
TO EAT WITH YOUR EYES
Bright colors and sweet or rotten odors are the mechanisms used to deceive and attract prey. Insects arrive thinking they are going to enjoy a good nectar or corpse and they are the ones who end up becoming a feast…
FULL TUMMY
Digestion begins with capture. The animal’s struggle to free itself from the trap stimulates the production of enzymes that will finish it off. Some plants also rely on the help of microorganisms to synthesize ingested food.
SELECTIVE DIGESTION
When they have finished their meal, the plants throw out what has not been digested. They notice when they capture something that is not food, like a stone, and expel the foreign body.
Dionea’s traps have an expiration date: after 10 or 12 closures, they no longer capture anything.
READ MORE
– Does the plant feel pain?
– What is the largest carnivorous plant in the world?
boat time
Each species has its own capture strategy. There are three basic types of traps:
STICKERS
In the case of Dionea, the leaves close to trap the victim
FLOODED URN
In Nepenthes, the animal slides along walls and drowns at the bottom of a pocket.
ADHESIVE NOZZLE
Drosera, the most common species in Brazil, has sticky hair on the leaves. They bend over prey to devour it.
SOURCES International Carnivorous Plant Society; Science Today; How Stuff Works and Carnivorous Plants, by Elsie Franklin Guimarães, José Mauricio Piliackas and Marcelo Notare
Find out early in the morning the most important news about the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences. to receive our newsletter
Subscription successful!
You will receive our newsletters in the morning from Monday to Friday.