A viscoelastic deadly fluid in carnivorous pitcher plants.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The carnivorous plants of the genus Nepenthes, widely distributed in the Asian tropics, rely mostly on nutrients derived from arthropods trapped in their pitcher-shaped leaves and digested by their enzymatic fluid. The genus exhibits a great diversity of prey and pitcher forms and its mechanism of trapping has long intrigued scientists. The slippery inner surfaces of the pitchers, which can be waxy or highly wettable, have so far been considered as the key trapping devices. However, the occurrence of species lacking such epidermal specializations but still effective at trapping insects suggests the possible implication of other mechanisms.

Methodology/principal findings

Using a combination of insect bioassays, high-speed video and rheological measurements, we show

SUBMITTER: Gaume L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2075164 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature