Pollinator Trapping in Carnivorous Plants

Author(s):  
Kazuki Tagawa
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
Bartosz J. Płachno ◽  
Lyudmila E. Muravnik

We review the current knowledge of trap anatomy of carnivorous plants, with a focus on the diversity and structure of the glands that are used to attract, capture, kill and digest their prey and finally to absorb nutrients from carcasses of prey. These glands have diverse forms. Regardless of their structure and origin, they have the same functional units, but there are differences in subcellular mechanisms and adaptations for carnivory. We propose a new type of carnivorous plant trap—a ‘fecal traps—which has unique physiology, morphology, and anatomy for attracting the animals that are the source of excrement and also to retain and use it.


Author(s):  
John D. Horner ◽  
Bartosz J. Płachno ◽  
Ulrike Bauer ◽  
Bruno Di Giusto

The ability to attract prey has long been considered a universal trait of carnivorous plants. We review studies from the past 25 years that have investigated the mechanisms by which carnivorous plants attract prey to their traps. Potential attractants include nectar, visual, olfactory, and acoustic cues. Each of these has been well documented to be effective in various species, but prey attraction is not ubiquitous among carnivorous plants. Directions for future research, especially in native habitats in the field, include: the qualitative and quantitative analysis of visual cues, volatiles, and nectar; temporal changes in attractants; synergistic action of combinations of attractants; the cost of attractants; and responses to putative attractants in electroantennograms and insect behavioral tests.


Author(s):  
Andreas Fleischmann ◽  
Jan Schlauer ◽  
Stephen A. Smith ◽  
Thomas J. Givnish

Molecular systematics demonstrate that carnivorous plants have evolved at least ten times independently, in five orders, 12 families, and 19 genera of angiosperms. Carnivory has arisen once in Nepenthales (a segregate of Caryophyllales), once in Oxalidales, twice in Ericales, and three times each in Lamiales and Poales. Estimated crown ages of these ten lineages range from 1.9 to 81 million years (Mya), with the youngest three lineages (1.9 – 2.6 Mya) being all single genera of Poales, and all involving one or two carnivorous species in an otherwise noncarnivorous group. We now understand the evolution of carnivorous plants based on knowing when and (often) where they diverged from specific noncarnivorous ancestors; inferring which traits were gained, which were retained, and which of the latter may have been crucial preadaptations for carnivory; and identifying the evolutionary drivers of carnivory by evaluating the ecological differences between carnivorous plants and their noncarnivorous relatives.


Author(s):  
Aaron M. Ellison ◽  
Lubomír Adamec

The material presented in the chapters of Carnivorous Plants: Physiology, Ecology, and Evolution together provide a suite of common themes that could provide a framework for increasing progress in understanding carnivorous plants. All speciose genera would benefit from more robust, intra-generic classifications in a phylogenetic framework that uses a unified species concept. As more genomic, proteomic, and transcriptomic data accrue, new insights will emerge regarding trap biochemistry and regulation; interactions with commensals; and the importance of intraspecific variability on which natural selection works. Continued elaboration of field experiments will provide new insights into basic physiology; population biology; plant-animal and plant-microbe relationships; and evolutionary dynamics, all of which will aid conservation efforts and contribute to discussions of assisted migration as the climate continues to change.


Author(s):  
Matthew C. Fitzpatrick ◽  
Aaron M. Ellison

Climatic change likely will exacerbate current threats to carnivorous plants. However, estimating the severity of climatic change is challenged by the unique ecology of carnivorous plants, including habitat specialization, dispersal limitation, small ranges, and small population sizes. We discuss and apply methods for modeling species distributions to overcome these challenges and quantify the vulnerability of carnivorous plants to rapid climatic change. Results suggest that climatic change will reduce habitat suitability for most carnivorous plants. Models also project increases in habitat suitability for many species, but the extent to which these increases may offset habitat losses will depend on whether individuals can disperse to and establish in newly suitable habitats outside of their current distribution. Reducing existing stressors and protecting habitats where numerous carnivorous plant species occur may ameliorate impacts of climatic change on this unique group of plants.


1909 ◽  
Vol 101 (25) ◽  
pp. 469-469
Author(s):  
S. Leonard Bastin

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (14) ◽  
pp. 1911-1916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Schöner ◽  
Caroline R. Schöner ◽  
Ralph Simon ◽  
T. Ulmar Grafe ◽  
Sébastien J. Puechmaille ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
pp. 0310057X2110203
Author(s):  
John D Paull ◽  
Michael G Cooper

A number of Charles Darwin’s biographies record the administration of chloroform by Darwin to his wife Emma, during her labour and delivery of her eighth child, Leonard. This occurred on 15 January 1850, a little over two years after James Young Simpson in Edinburgh described the analgesic action of inhaled chloroform. An online search of more than 9000 items of Darwin’s correspondence at Cambridge University and other sources revealed that he was an active proponent and user of chloroform in midwifery, for euthanising animals he studied, as well as in botanical studies of carnivorous plants. He also discovered that the concurrent inhalation of chloroform, during its administration to his wife, alleviated his distressing anxiety which he suffered when present at her earlier confinements.


Author(s):  
T Lawrence Mellichamp

The Sarracenia pitcher plants are among the world’s most beautiful and intriguing plants, and being carnivorous adds an extra dimension of fascination. They are endemic to North America – 10 species are found only in the southeastern United States and one species is widely distributed, from the northeastern US and across Canada. They are easy to cultivate if you understand their basic needs and are grown the world over. Every botanical garden should have them because they are so popular with the public. They go hand-in-hand with other unusual carnivorous plants to make a display that is captivating (puns intended!) to both children and adults. This paper covers types of pitcher plants, their habitats, brief descriptions of the species, a key to identification, cultivation and a short note on conservation.


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