Carnivorous Plants
In a world where plants are at the bottom of the food-chain, some individual plant species have evolved ways to reverse the order we expect to find in nature. These insectivorous plants, as they are sometimes called, are the predators , rather than the passive prey. Adaptions such as odiferous lures and trapping mechanisms have made it possible for these photosynthesizers to capture, chemically break-down and digest insect prey (and in some cases even small animals.) There is no reason to fear them though. The majority are herbaceous perennials, usually only 4 to 6 inches high, and nothing like the plant in "Little Shop of Horrors".
Almost all carnivorous plants have a basically similar ecology and several different species are often found growing almost side by side. They are most likely to be found in swamps, bogs, damp heaths and muddy or sandy shores.
Drosophyllum lusitanicum from Portugal and Morocco is the one exception, it grows on dry gravelly hills. Like other green plants, carnivorous plants contain the organic pigment chlorophyll. This pigment helps to mediate a chemical process called photosynthesis. This converts light energy into the chemical bond energy of carbohydrate which is utilized as cellular energy, plant growth and development. Water, carbon dioxide, nutrients and minerals are also needed for survival. In wetlands, where stagnate water contains acidic compounds and chemicals from decaying organic matter many plants have a difficult time obtaining necessary nutrients. It is in these nutrient poor conditions that some plants evolved different ways of obtaining nutrients. The ability of carnivorous plants to digest nitrogen -rich animal protein enables these plants to survive in somewhat hostile environments.
The evolution of carnivorous plants is speculative due to the paucity of the fossil record. It is believed that plant carnivory may have evolved millions of years ago from plants whose leaves formed depressions that retained rain water. Small insects would sometimes fall into these water reservoirs and drown, eventually being decomposed by bacteria in the water. The nutrients from the insects would be absorbed by the leaf. The deeper the leaf depression the more insects that could be drowned. This would have creat...
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... as frogs and small rodents. Nepenthes are unique amongst carnivorous plants as the only dioecious genus, which means there are separate male and female plants. These plants are very endangered and several species or extinct.
Some species of Nepenthes are sold for hundreds of dollars to collectors and are involved in illegal overseas trade.
The growing of carnivorous plants has become very popular in recent years. Unfortunately the endangered status of many species does not stop collectors from risking high fines and field collecting them. This has had seriously impact on many species, but collectors are not the biggest problem facing carnivorous plants. In the USA and other developed countries wetlands are considered useless and are being drained and developed on. At present it is estimated that only 3-5% of carnivorous plant habitat remain in the US. Another problem is that fires are put out before they spread even though many plants, such as the Venus fly trap, benefit from periodic burns. Habitat destruction from slash and burn agriculture, however, does not benefit any of the carnivorous plants and is also causing a great deal of the extinctions.
Many variations and species of plants can be found all around the world and in different habitats. These variations and characteristics are due to their adaptations to the natural habitat surrounding them. In three of many climatic zones, the arid, tropical and temperate zone, plants that vary greatly from each other are found in these locations. In this experiment, we’ll be observing the connection between the adaptations of the plants to their environment at the Fullerton Arboretum. The arboretum is a space containing numerous plants from different environments. The plants are carefully looked after and organized into their specific habitat. Therefore, we’ll be able to take a look at the plants within multiple
in dry little streams. As the sharp sun struck day after day, the leaves of the
As a result of these factors, the flora has adapted to these conditions in a variety of ways including their shape, leaf type, root system, and color. One of the most prominent adapt...
This rare skink is located only in the swamps in and around the Blue Mountains and Newnes Plateau of Australia.They have been sighted making homes of burrowing holes made by other creatures but its regular home of choice in its environment is unknown.
The underwater flatfish can be found on a coral rubble and in lagoons in the coastal bay.They also can be found under boulders at reef crests and under ledges on the reef slope.he biome they live in is the interital.The underwater flatfish live in indo west pacific.
Sidewinders usually live in sandy, desert areas. On some occasions they live rocky areas to hide and capture their prey, forests, and marshes for easy accessible water and different insects to prey on. They prefer to be in open areas, like
Vascular plants sequestered large amounts of CO2 through photosynthesis when they first expanded across terrestrial environment, leading to glaciation. Evaluate the claim that a similar glaciation event occurred when the first plants colonized land. Be sure to consider weather or not photosynthesis by these new species alone caused glaciation.
Mudskippers are found primarily in the coastal wetlands of Japan, Australia, Indonesia, West Africa, and the Philippines. You can find them in mangrove forests and mudflats. Even though technically they are fish, they spend time both on land and in the water. Mudskippers need to live in humid habitats so they can breathe. They can withstand changes in salinity, and some even live in saltwater. Mudskippers have many adaptations needed for survival in their habitat. Mudskippers are one of the few species of fish capable of living out of the water. In fact, they spend more time on land than in water. So how do they produce oxygen out of water? Mudskippers breathe through their gills like most fish. But gills need water to breathe. So they rotate their eye cavity, which lubricates the gill
Biology 108 laboratory manual. 2010. Lab 3, habitat preferences of artemia franciscana, pp. 45-62. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Describe the location and the ecosystem, including all known feeding relationships. What is its current status?
The three plants that would be most important to bring on a trip to a interesting new alien plant would be potatoes, oranges, and cactuses. These plants are all equally important in a role of surviving as they all have individual pros an cons such as water collection, nutrition, and vitamins, and even building a shelter. These which are essential in surviving in a foreign unknown planet hostile to humans. All of these plants perform different functions that no other could match.
own roots (not just the plant kind), this meant they needed a structure that was different than
Germination is the process of the plant embryo sprouting a seedling after a period of dormancy in a seed. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., 2008) Dormancy comes from the Latin word meaning “to sleep.” This period of inaction in the seed is an adaptation to support the seed so it can survive though the harsh growing conditions. (Campbell, Reece, Urry, Cain, Qasserman, Minorsky & Jackson, 2008) Once these poor conditions are absent, the seed can then germinate. The seed will absorb the water, causing it to enlarge. The growing tip of the root will emerge from the seed, and the root will begin to grow. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., 2008)
This area is called the oceanic desert. Tiny phytoplankton but few fish or mammals fills the
In 1891, a German zoologist named Karl Semper introduced the concept of a food chain, a process that is requisite for all living creatures. The chain consists of different levels. On the bottom are plants, then herbivores, the animals that eat plants. Next are carnivores, animals that eat other animal species, and the last are the animals that eat carnivores. The chain tends to overlap due to animals that eat more than one kind of food. Some people choose to be carnivores, while others choose to be herbivores due to the feeling that it is wrong to eat another living being. Humans are usually thought of as the superior animals on the Earth and living in modern society many nutritious foods are provided, especially meat. Some people choose to live herbivorous lifestyles due to moral and ethic reasoning, which can easily result in malnutrition as well as health risks that could have easily been avoided had they eaten carnivorously.