文档介绍：Carnivorous Plants: Science Fiction or Science??
What in the world is a carnivorous plant?
Must be able to attract, capture and kill animals (mostly insects)
Also must digest the animal
Can survive without eating meat, though.
Most are small (<1 m tall) but one vine species can grow to be 10 m long
Where in the world can I find these plants?
Everywhere except Antarctica!!
More abundant in Australia, southeast Asia and North America
Even Alachua county has them!!
600 species and sub-species, but not all related to each other
Let’s Review. . .
1) What are the 4 traits of a carnivorous plant?
They attract, capture, kill and digest animals
2) Do non-carnivorous plants share any of these traits?
Non-carnivorous plants can attract insects
3) Do they need to eat meat to survive?
No-they have been grown in labs without meat
4) Where in the world can you find these plants?
Everywhere except Antarctica
5) How many species are there? Are they all related?
600 species and sub-species; they are not all related
(convergent evolution)
What habitat do they live in?
The genus Utricularia is aquatic (freshwater)
Mainly found in nutrient poor wetlands (ex. Bogs)
Decaying plants release pounds
anisms cannot function
Difficult for plants to get nutrients from acidic soil
What animals do they eat?
Mostly Insects and spiders (gnats, flies, moths, wasps, spiders, butterflies, beetles and ants)
Freshwater species eat small water animals and fish and mosquito larvae
Some capture small amphibians (frogs) and small birds and rodents have been found in some tropical species!!
Some species even eat insect and bird excrement!!
How do these plants capture prey?
Can be sweet-smelling or brightly colored to attract prey to their trap
There are 2 types of traps
Active: Use rapid movement (ex. Venus fly-trap, Utricularia)
Passive: sticky hairs or a long tube with hairs that trap prey
Active or Passive?