Susan Chen
Carnivorous bog plants
In
a low-nutrient environment such as a bog, plants need to find alternative ways
to obtain nutrients for survival. Carnivorous plants are evolutionarily
advantageous in a bog habitat because of their ability to capture and digest insects,
which provide them with great amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. Their victims
are often ants; others include flies, gnats, beetles, larvae, worms and small
crustaceans. Full digestion usually takes the carnivorous plant a few days,
after which it would reopen its trap and release any indigestible remains of
the insect.
One common type of carnivorous
bog plants is the pitcher plant
(Sarracenia). Their noticeable common features are the tall stems and the
pitcher-shaped leaves that collect rainwater. Insects are attracted to them
because of the pleasant scent of their flowers, and the honey-like nectar
secreted by glands on the pitcher lip. Once the insect falls in the hollow
leaf, they drown and their remains are absorbed. Sundews (Drosera) and butterworts
(Pinguicula) are shorter plants that grow on the bog ground. They have
leaves with many tentacles (hairs with glands on end) that secrete sticky
fluids to “glue” insects. Once a prey is captured, the tentacles would bend
inward and wrap around the insect. Digestive juices are then secreted to
breakdown the suffocated victim. Bladderworts
(Utricularia) are even more amazing. They inhabit bog pools, and have
underwater bladders that contain water pumping glands. When touched by an
insect, the trigger hairs would open the partial vacuum, sucking the insect in
and closing up very quickly. (See illustration)
References: Bridges, E., Orzell, S., Sheridan, P., and Adler, B. Carnivorous plants of Texas. http://www.carnivorousplantsoftexas.org/aboutCPT.html Dunne, G. W. March 27, 1976. Forest preserve district of Cook County - carnivorous plants. http://newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/500-599/nb597.htm Irish Peatland Conservation Council. 2000. IPCC – Carnivorous plants of bogs. http://www.ipcc.ie/infocarnivorous1.htmlImages: Pitcher plant
Venus Fly Trap
Bladderwort trap