Glowing carnivorous plants make themselves pretty to prey

Going toward the light may not be such a good idea, at least for victims of these carnivorous plant species.

 

Researchers have found that pitcher plants Nepenthes and Sarracenia as well as Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula) use a blue glow to attract prey, the British Broadcasting Co. reported.

 

"These distinct blue emissions were so far not known in carnivorous prey traps. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting such strong and distinct fluorescence emissions in the plant kingdom," BBC quoted research team member Dr. Sabulal Baby as saying.

 

On the other hand, the team said the discovery of the blue fluorescence gives them "a new understanding to prey capture in carnivorous plants and also [of] plant-animal interactions."

 

Landing pads for insects As most insects and other arthropods can perceive UV regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, the BBC report said potential prey see the blue fluorescent rings as landing pads.

 

BBC said the researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India discovered the blue fluorescent emissions from the plants' "capture spots" when they tested them with ultraviolet (UV) light.

 

The study, published in the journal Plant Biology, said the team found the blue glow - caused by molecular mechanisms - when scanning them at UV 366nm.

 

Blue fluorescence also appeared on the lids, interior pitcher tubes and peristomes (upper rims) of pitcher plants, the BBC report added.

 

Such a glow would attract as well nocturnal prey and small mammals such as rats, bats and tree shrews.

 

Testing the glow

 

The researchers tested the prey-attracting property of the glow by masking the blue rings with a non-fluorescent extract.

 

With the glow "muffled," the plants' success in capturing prey reduced drastically.

 

Baby said this shows the blue fluorescence acts as a "very significant signal" in attracting prey. — TJD, GMA News