Venus flytrap - Revision history

imported>Deiadameian: /* Etymology */

2025-12-10T09:07:33Z

Etymology

imported>Charismad: wiki link to angiosperms

2025-07-01T06:09:00Z

wiki link to angiosperms

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	== Description ==		== Description ==
	The Venus flytrap is a small plant whose structure can be described as a rosette of four to seven leaves, which arise from a short subterranean stem that is actually a bulb-like object. Each stem reaches a maximum size of about three to ten centimeters, depending on the time of year;<ref name="Sarraceniacom">{{cite web \| url = http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2000.html \| work = The Carnivorous Plant FAQ \| title = Venus flytraps \| access-date= 13 June 2005 }}</ref> longer leaves with robust traps are usually formed after flowering. Flytraps that have more than seven leaves are [[Colony (biology)\|colonies]] formed by rosettes that have divided beneath the ground.		The Venus flytrap is a small plant whose structure can be described as a [[Rosette (botany)\|rosette]] of four to seven leaves, which arise from a short subterranean stem that is actually a bulb-like object. Each stem reaches a maximum size of about three to ten centimeters, depending on the time of year;<ref name="Sarraceniacom">{{cite web \| url = http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq2000.html \| work = The Carnivorous Plant FAQ \| title = Venus flytraps \| access-date= 13 June 2005 }}</ref> longer leaves with robust traps are usually formed after flowering. Flytraps that have more than seven leaves are [[Colony (biology)\|colonies]] formed by rosettes that have divided beneath the ground.
	[[File:Drawing of Venus Flytrap.jpg\|thumb\|left\|upright\|Illustration from ''[[Curtis's Botanical Magazine]]'' by [[William Curtis]] (1746–1799)]]		[[File:Drawing of Venus Flytrap.jpg\|thumb\|left\|upright\|Illustration from ''[[Curtis's Botanical Magazine]]'' by [[William Curtis]] (1746–1799)]]

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	The holes in the meshwork allow small prey to escape, presumably because the benefit that would be obtained from them would be less than the cost of digesting them. If the prey is too small and escapes, the trap will usually reopen within 12 hours. If the prey moves around in the trap, it tightens and digestion begins more quickly.		The holes in the meshwork allow small prey to escape, presumably because the benefit that would be obtained from them would be less than the cost of digesting them. If the prey is too small and escapes, the trap will usually reopen within 12 hours. If the prey moves around in the trap, it tightens and digestion begins more quickly.

	Speed of closing can vary depending on the amount of humidity, light, size of prey, and general growing conditions. The speed with which traps close can be used as an indicator of a plant's general health. Venus flytraps are not as humidity-dependent as are some other carnivorous plants, such as ''[[Nepenthes]]'', ''[[Cephalotus]]'', most ''[[Heliamphora]]'', and some ''[[Drosera]]''.		Speed of closing can vary depending on the amount of humidity, light, size of prey, and general growing conditions. The speed with which traps close can be used as an indicator of a plant's general health. Venus flytraps are not as humidity-dependent as are some other [[Carnivorous plant\|carnivorous plants]], such as ''[[Nepenthes]]'', ''[[Cephalotus]]'', most ''[[Heliamphora]]'', and some ''[[Drosera]]''.

	The Venus flytrap exhibits variations in petiole shape and length and whether the leaf lies flat on the ground or extends up at an angle of about 40–60 degrees. The four major forms are: 'typica', the most common, with broad decumbent petioles; 'erecta', with leaves at a 45-degree angle; 'linearis', with narrow petioles and leaves at 45 degrees; and 'filiformis', with extremely narrow or linear petioles. Except for 'filiformis', all of these can be stages in leaf production of any plant depending on season (decumbent in summer versus short versus semi-erect in spring), length of photoperiod (long petioles in spring versus short in summer), and intensity of light (wide petioles in low light intensity versus narrow in brighter light).{{Citation needed\|date=March 2008}}		The Venus flytrap exhibits variations in petiole shape and length and whether the leaf lies flat on the ground or extends up at an angle of about 40–60 degrees. The four major forms are: 'typica', the most common, with broad decumbent petioles; 'erecta', with leaves at a 45-degree angle; 'linearis', with narrow petioles and leaves at 45 degrees; and 'filiformis', with extremely narrow or linear petioles. Except for 'filiformis', all of these can be stages in leaf production of any plant depending on season (decumbent in summer versus short versus semi-erect in spring), length of [[Photoperiodism\|photoperiod]] (long petioles in spring versus short in summer), and intensity of light (wide petioles in low light intensity versus narrow in brighter light).{{Citation needed\|date=March 2008}}

	=== Other parts ===		=== Other parts ===
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	===Habitat===		===Habitat===
	[[File:Venus flytrap Map.gif\|thumb\|Map of the original distribution of the Venus flytrap]]		[[File:Venus flytrap Map.gif\|thumb\|Map of the original distribution of the Venus flytrap]]
	The Venus flytrap is found in [[nitrogen]]- and phosphorus-poor environments, such as [[bog]]s, wet savannahs, and [[canebrake]]s. Small in stature and slow-growing, the Venus flytrap tolerates fire well and depends on periodic burning to suppress its competition.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal \|author1=W. Schulze \|author2=E.D. Schulze \|author3=I. Schulze \|author4=R. Oren \|name-list-style=amp \| title=Quantification of insect nitrogen utilization by the Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula catching prey with highly variable isotope signatures \| journal=Journal of Experimental Botany \| volume=52 \| year=2001 \| pages=1041–1049 \| doi=10.1093/jexbot/52.358.1041 \| pmid=11432920 \| issue=358\| doi-access=free }}</ref> Fire suppression threatens its future in the wild.<ref>{{cite web \| url = http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-does-the-venus-flytra \| work = Scientific American \| author = Leege, Lissa \| title = How does the Venus flytrap digest flies? \| access-date= 20 August 2008 }}</ref> It survives in wet sandy and peaty soils. Although it has been successfully transplanted and grown in many locales around the world, it is native only to the coastal bogs of North and South Carolina in the United States, specifically within a {{convert\|100\|km\|mi\|abbr=off\|sp=us\|adj=on}} radius of [[Wilmington, North Carolina]].<ref>Darwin, C. R. 1875. [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5765 Insectivorous Plants].</ref> One such place is North Carolina's [[Green Swamp (North Carolina)\|Green Swamp]]. There also appears to be a naturalized population of Venus flytraps in northern [[Florida]] as well as an introduced population in western [[Washington (state)\|Washington]].<ref name="Schnell 2002">{{cite book \|last=Schnell \|first=D. E. \|year=2002 \|title=Carnivorous Plants of the United States and Canada \|edition=2nd \|publisher=Timber Press \|isbn=978-0-88192-540-1 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2SzHmAjUZcC }}</ref><ref name="Burke Museum">Giblin, D. Nd. [http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Dionaea&Species=muscipula ''Dionaea muscipula''.] Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.</ref> The nutritional poverty of the soil is the reason it relies on such elaborate traps: insect prey provide the nitrogen for [[protein]] formation that the soil cannot. They tolerate mild winters, and require a period of winter dormancy to survive freezing temperatures and low photoperiods. It is a common misconception that Venus flytraps require dormancy if kept indoors under sufficient artificial light.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://cpn.carnivorousplants.org/articles/CPNv48n4p178_182.pdf \|title=Grow Venus Flytraps Indoors \|publisher=International Carnivorous Plant Society \|access-date=2 June 2023}}</ref> However, most professional carnivorous plant growers recommend dormancy, and Venus fly traps grown without dormancy may require more light, water, and food to remain healthy.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://brianscarnivorous.com/venus-flytrap-dionaea-muscipula\|title=Venus Flytraps (Dionaea)\|website=Brian's Carnivorous\|access-date=21 September 2023}}</ref>		The Venus flytrap is found in [[nitrogen]]- and phosphorus-poor environments, such as [[bog]]s, wet savannahs, and [[canebrake]]s. Small in stature and slow-growing, the Venus flytrap tolerates fire well and depends on periodic burning to suppress its competition.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal \|author1=W. Schulze \|author2=E.D. Schulze \|author3=I. Schulze \|author4=R. Oren \|name-list-style=amp \| title=Quantification of insect nitrogen utilization by the Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula catching prey with highly variable isotope signatures \| journal=Journal of Experimental Botany \| volume=52 \| year=2001 \| pages=1041–1049 \| doi=10.1093/jexbot/52.358.1041 \| pmid=11432920 \| issue=358\| doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Wildfire suppression\|Fire suppression]] threatens its future in the wild.<ref>{{cite web \| url = http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-does-the-venus-flytra \| work = Scientific American \| author = Leege, Lissa \| title = How does the Venus flytrap digest flies? \| access-date= 20 August 2008 }}</ref> It survives in wet sandy and peaty soils. Although it has been successfully transplanted and grown in many locales around the world, it is native only to the coastal bogs of North and South Carolina in the United States, specifically within a {{convert\|100\|km\|mi\|abbr=off\|sp=us\|adj=on}} radius of [[Wilmington, North Carolina]].<ref>Darwin, C. R. 1875. [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5765 Insectivorous Plants].</ref> One such place is North Carolina's [[Green Swamp (North Carolina)\|Green Swamp]]. There also appears to be a naturalized population of Venus flytraps in northern [[Florida]] as well as an introduced population in western [[Washington (state)\|Washington]].<ref name="Schnell 2002">{{cite book \|last=Schnell \|first=D. E. \|year=2002 \|title=Carnivorous Plants of the United States and Canada \|edition=2nd \|publisher=Timber Press \|isbn=978-0-88192-540-1 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2SzHmAjUZcC }}</ref><ref name="Burke Museum">Giblin, D. Nd. [http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Dionaea&Species=muscipula ''Dionaea muscipula''.] Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.</ref> The nutritional poverty of the soil is the reason it relies on such elaborate traps: insect prey provide the nitrogen for [[protein]] formation that the soil cannot. They tolerate mild winters, and require a period of winter dormancy to survive freezing temperatures and low [[Photoperiodism\|photoperiods]]. It is a common misconception that Venus flytraps require dormancy if kept indoors under sufficient artificial light.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://cpn.carnivorousplants.org/articles/CPNv48n4p178_182.pdf \|title=Grow Venus Flytraps Indoors \|publisher=International Carnivorous Plant Society \|access-date=2 June 2023}}</ref> However, most professional carnivorous plant growers recommend dormancy, and Venus fly traps grown without dormancy may require more light, water, and food to remain healthy.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://brianscarnivorous.com/venus-flytrap-dionaea-muscipula\|title=Venus Flytraps (Dionaea)\|website=Brian's Carnivorous\|access-date=21 September 2023}}</ref>

	They are full sun plants, usually found only in areas with less than 10% canopy cover.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web\|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310766408\|title=Petition to list the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula Ellis) as Endangered under the 1973 Endangered Species Act\|last=Waller\|first=Donald\|date=21 October 2016\|website=USFWS\|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> The habitats where it thrives are typically either too nutrient-poor for many noncarnivorous plants to survive, or frequently disturbed by fires which regularly clear vegetation and prevent a shady overstory from developing. It can be found living alongside herbaceous plants, grasses, sphagnum, and fire-dependent [[Arundinaria]] bamboos.<ref>{{cite journal \|last1=Gray \|first1=Janet Bracey \|last2=Sorrie \|first2=Bruce A \|last3=Wall \|first3=Wade \|title=Canebrakes of the Sandhills Region of the Carolinas and Georgia: Fire History, Canebrake Area, and Species Frequency \|journal=Castanea \|date=2016 \|volume=81 \|issue=4 \|pages=280–291\|doi=10.2179/16-112 \|s2cid=89603409 }}</ref> Regular fire disturbance is an important part of its habitat, required every 3–5 years in most places for ''D. muscipula'' to thrive. After fire, ''D. muscipula'' seeds germinate well in ash and sandy soil, with seedlings growing well in the open post-fire conditions. The seeds germinate immediately without a dormant period.<ref name=":0" />		They are full sun plants, usually found only in areas with less than 10% canopy cover.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web\|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310766408\|title=Petition to list the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula Ellis) as Endangered under the 1973 Endangered Species Act\|last=Waller\|first=Donald\|date=21 October 2016\|website=USFWS\|access-date=14 December 2019}}</ref> The habitats where it thrives are typically either too nutrient-poor for many noncarnivorous plants to survive, or frequently disturbed by fires which regularly clear vegetation and prevent a shady overstory from developing. It can be found living alongside herbaceous plants, grasses, [[sphagnum]], and fire-dependent [[Arundinaria]] bamboos.<ref>{{cite journal \|last1=Gray \|first1=Janet Bracey \|last2=Sorrie \|first2=Bruce A \|last3=Wall \|first3=Wade \|title=Canebrakes of the Sandhills Region of the Carolinas and Georgia: Fire History, Canebrake Area, and Species Frequency \|journal=Castanea \|date=2016 \|volume=81 \|issue=4 \|pages=280–291\|doi=10.2179/16-112 \|s2cid=89603409 }}</ref> Regular fire disturbance is an important part of its habitat, required every 3–5 years in most places for ''D. muscipula'' to thrive. After fire, ''D. muscipula'' seeds germinate well in ash and sandy soil, with seedlings growing well in the open post-fire conditions. The seeds germinate immediately without a dormant period.<ref name=":0" />

	=== Distribution ===		=== Distribution ===
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	===Prey selectivity===		===Prey selectivity===
	[[File:Venus Flytrap time lapse.webm\|thumb\|A time lapse showing Venus flytrap catching prey (see [[Commons:Category:Videos of Dionaea muscipula\|more videos here]])]]		[[File:Venus Flytrap time lapse.webm\|thumb\|A time lapse showing Venus flytrap catching prey (see [[Commons:Category:Videos of Dionaea muscipula\|more videos here]])]]
	Most carnivorous plants selectively feed on specific prey. This selection is due to the available prey and the type of trap used by the organism. With the Venus flytrap, prey is limited to beetles, spiders and other crawling arthropods. The ''Dionaea'' diet is 33% ants, 30% spiders, 10% beetles, and 10% grasshoppers, with fewer than 5% flying insects.<ref name=Ellison>{{cite journal \| doi=10.1093/jxb/ern179 \| last1=Ellison \|first1=DM\|last2= Gotelli \|first2= NJ \| title=Energetics and the evolution of carnivorous plants – Darwin's 'Most Wonderful plants in the world' \| journal=Journal of Experimental Botany \| volume=60 \| year=2009 \| issue=1 \| pages=19–42 \| pmid=19213724 \| doi-access=free }}</ref>		Most carnivorous plants selectively feed on specific prey. This selection is due to the available prey and the type of trap used by the organism. With the Venus flytrap, prey is limited to [[Beetle\|beetles]], [[Spider\|spiders]] and other crawling [[Arthropod\|arthropods]]. The ''Dionaea'' diet is 33% ants, 30% spiders, 10% beetles, and 10% grasshoppers, with fewer than 5% flying insects.<ref name=Ellison>{{cite journal \| doi=10.1093/jxb/ern179 \| last1=Ellison \|first1=DM\|last2= Gotelli \|first2= NJ \| title=Energetics and the evolution of carnivorous plants – Darwin's 'Most Wonderful plants in the world' \| journal=Journal of Experimental Botany \| volume=60 \| year=2009 \| issue=1 \| pages=19–42 \| pmid=19213724 \| doi-access=free }}</ref>

	Given that ''Dionaea'' evolved from an ancestral form of ''Drosera'' (carnivorous plants that use a sticky trap instead of a snap trap) the reason for this evolutionary branching becomes clear. ''Drosera'' consume smaller, aerial insects, whereas ''Dionaea'' consume larger terrestrial bugs. ''Dionaea'' are able to extract more nutrients from these larger bugs. This gives ''Dionaea'' an evolutionary advantage over their ancestral sticky trap form.<ref name=Gibson>{{cite journal \| doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02935.x \| last1=Gibson \|first1=TC \|last2= Waller \|first2= DM \| title=Evolving Darwin's 'most wonderful' plant: ecological steps to a snap-trap \| journal= New Phytologist \| volume=183 \|issue=1\| year=2009 \| pages=575–587 \| pmid=19573135\| doi-access=free \| bibcode=2009NewPh.183..575G }}</ref>		Given that ''Dionaea'' evolved from an ancestral form of ''Drosera'' (carnivorous plants that use a sticky trap instead of a snap trap) the reason for this evolutionary branching becomes clear. ''Drosera'' consume smaller, aerial insects, whereas ''Dionaea'' consume larger terrestrial bugs. ''Dionaea'' are able to extract more nutrients from these larger bugs. This gives ''Dionaea'' an evolutionary advantage over their ancestral sticky trap form.<ref name=Gibson>{{cite journal \| doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02935.x \| last1=Gibson \|first1=TC \|last2= Waller \|first2= DM \| title=Evolving Darwin's 'most wonderful' plant: ecological steps to a snap-trap \| journal= New Phytologist \| volume=183 \|issue=1\| year=2009 \| pages=575–587 \| pmid=19573135\| doi-access=free \| bibcode=2009NewPh.183..575G }}</ref>
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	==Evolution==		==Evolution==
	[[File:Drosera falconeri Darwiniana.jpg\|thumb\|''[[Drosera falconeri]]'', with short, wide, sticky leaf traps]]		[[File:Drosera falconeri Darwiniana.jpg\|thumb\|''[[Drosera falconeri]]'', with short, wide, sticky leaf traps]]
	Carnivory in plants is a very specialized form of [[foliar feeding]], and is an adaptation found in several plants that grow in nutrient-poor soil. Carnivorous traps were naturally selected to allow these organisms to compensate for the nutrient deficiencies of their harsh environments and compensate for the reduced photosynthetic benefit.<ref>{{cite journal \| author=AM Ellison \| title=Nutrient limitation and stoichiometry of carnivorous plants \| journal=Plant Biology \| volume=8 \| issue=6 \| year=2006 \| pages=740–747 \| url=http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/publications/pdfs/ellison_PlantBio_2006.pdf \| doi=10.1055/s-2006-923956\| pmid=17203429 \| bibcode=2006PlBio...8..740E \| s2cid=260253121 }}</ref> Phylogenetic studies have shown that carnivory in plants is a common adaptation in habitats with abundant sunlight and water but scarce nutrients.<ref name="Gibson" /> Carnivory has evolved independently six times in the angiosperms based on extant species, with likely many more carnivorous plant lineages now extinct.<ref>{{Cite journal\|last1=Albert\|first1=V. A.\|last2=Williams\|first2=S. E.\|last3=Chase\|first3=M. W.\|date=11 September 1992\|title=Carnivorous plants: phylogeny and structural evolution\|journal=Science\|language=en\|volume=257\|issue=5076\|pages=1491–1495\|doi=10.1126/science.1523408\|issn=0036-8075\|pmid=1523408\|bibcode=1992Sci...257.1491A}}</ref>		Carnivory in plants is a very specialized form of [[foliar feeding]], and is an adaptation found in several plants that grow in nutrient-poor soil. Carnivorous traps were naturally selected to allow these organisms to compensate for the nutrient deficiencies of their harsh environments and compensate for the reduced photosynthetic benefit.<ref>{{cite journal \| author=AM Ellison \| title=Nutrient limitation and stoichiometry of carnivorous plants \| journal=Plant Biology \| volume=8 \| issue=6 \| year=2006 \| pages=740–747 \| url=http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/publications/pdfs/ellison_PlantBio_2006.pdf \| doi=10.1055/s-2006-923956\| pmid=17203429 \| bibcode=2006PlBio...8..740E \| s2cid=260253121 }}</ref> Phylogenetic studies have shown that carnivory in plants is a common adaptation in habitats with abundant sunlight and water but scarce nutrients.<ref name="Gibson" /> Carnivory has evolved independently six times in the [[angiosperms]] based on extant species, with likely many more carnivorous plant lineages now extinct.<ref>{{Cite journal\|last1=Albert\|first1=V. A.\|last2=Williams\|first2=S. E.\|last3=Chase\|first3=M. W.\|date=11 September 1992\|title=Carnivorous plants: phylogeny and structural evolution\|journal=Science\|language=en\|volume=257\|issue=5076\|pages=1491–1495\|doi=10.1126/science.1523408\|issn=0036-8075\|pmid=1523408\|bibcode=1992Sci...257.1491A}}</ref>

	The "snap trap" mechanism characteristic of ''Dionaea'' is shared with only one other carnivorous plant genus, ''[[Aldrovanda]]''. For most of the 20th century, this relationship was thought to be coincidental, more precisely an example of [[convergent evolution]]. Some phylogenetic studies even suggested that the closest living relatives of ''Aldrovanda'' were the [[sundew]]s.<ref name="Gibson 2009" /> It was not until 2002 that a molecular evolutionary study, by analyzing combined [[nuclear DNA\|nuclear]] and [[chloroplast DNA]] sequences, indicated that ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'' were closely related and that the snap trap mechanism evolved only once in a [[common ancestor]] of the two genera.<ref name="Cameron">{{cite journal \| last1 = Cameron \| first1 = K. M. \| last2 = Wurdack \| first2 = K. J. \| last3 = Jobson \| first3 = R. W. \| year = 2002 \| title = Molecular evidence for the common origin of snap-traps among carnivorous plants \| journal = American Journal of Botany \| volume = 89 \| issue = 9 \| pages = 1503–1509 \| doi = 10.3732/ajb.89.9.1503 \| pmid = 21665752 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal \|pmid=21659087 \|title=Phylogeny of the sundews, ''Drosera'' (Droseraceae), based on chloroplast rbcL and nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA Sequences \|author=Rivadavia, F. \|author2=K. Kondo \|author3= M. Kato \|author4=M. Hasebe \|name-list-style=amp \|year=2003 \|journal=American Journal of Botany \| volume=90 \|issue=1 \|pages=123–130 \|doi=10.3732/ajb.90.1.123\|doi-access=free }}</ref>		The "snap trap" mechanism characteristic of ''Dionaea'' is shared with only one other carnivorous plant genus, ''[[Aldrovanda]]''. For most of the 20th century, this relationship was thought to be coincidental, more precisely an example of [[convergent evolution]]. Some phylogenetic studies even suggested that the closest living relatives of ''Aldrovanda'' were the [[sundew]]s.<ref name="Gibson 2009" /> It was not until 2002 that a molecular evolutionary study, by analyzing combined [[nuclear DNA\|nuclear]] and [[chloroplast DNA]] sequences, indicated that ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'' were closely related and that the snap trap mechanism evolved only once in a [[common ancestor]] of the two genera.<ref name="Cameron">{{cite journal \| last1 = Cameron \| first1 = K. M. \| last2 = Wurdack \| first2 = K. J. \| last3 = Jobson \| first3 = R. W. \| year = 2002 \| title = Molecular evidence for the common origin of snap-traps among carnivorous plants \| journal = American Journal of Botany \| volume = 89 \| issue = 9 \| pages = 1503–1509 \| doi = 10.3732/ajb.89.9.1503 \| pmid = 21665752 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal \|pmid=21659087 \|title=Phylogeny of the sundews, ''Drosera'' (Droseraceae), based on chloroplast rbcL and nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA Sequences \|author=Rivadavia, F. \|author2=K. Kondo \|author3= M. Kato \|author4=M. Hasebe \|name-list-style=amp \|year=2003 \|journal=American Journal of Botany \| volume=90 \|issue=1 \|pages=123–130 \|doi=10.3732/ajb.90.1.123\|doi-access=free }}</ref>

imported>OAbot: Open access bot: url-access updated in citation with #oabot.

2025-06-20T00:53:23Z

Open access bot: url-access updated in citation with #oabot.

← Previous revision		Revision as of 00:53, 20 June 2025
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	A 2009 study<ref name="Gibson 2009"/> presented evidence for the evolution of snap traps of ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'' from a flypaper trap like ''Drosera regia'', based on [[molecular phylogenetics\|molecular data]]. The molecular and physiological data imply that ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'' snap traps evolved from the flypaper traps of a common ancestor with ''[[Drosera]]''. Pre-adaptations to the evolution of snap traps were identified in several species of ''Drosera'', such as rapid leaf and tentacle movement. The model proposes that plant carnivory by snap trap evolved from the flypaper traps, driven by increasing prey size. Bigger prey provides greater nutritional value, but large insects can easily escape the sticky mucilage of flypaper traps; the evolution of snap traps would therefore prevent escape and [[kleptoparasitism]] (theft of prey captured by the plant before it can derive benefit from it), and would also permit a more complete digestion.<ref name="Gibson 2009"/><ref name="Cameron" />		A 2009 study<ref name="Gibson 2009"/> presented evidence for the evolution of snap traps of ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'' from a flypaper trap like ''Drosera regia'', based on [[molecular phylogenetics\|molecular data]]. The molecular and physiological data imply that ''Dionaea'' and ''Aldrovanda'' snap traps evolved from the flypaper traps of a common ancestor with ''[[Drosera]]''. Pre-adaptations to the evolution of snap traps were identified in several species of ''Drosera'', such as rapid leaf and tentacle movement. The model proposes that plant carnivory by snap trap evolved from the flypaper traps, driven by increasing prey size. Bigger prey provides greater nutritional value, but large insects can easily escape the sticky mucilage of flypaper traps; the evolution of snap traps would therefore prevent escape and [[kleptoparasitism]] (theft of prey captured by the plant before it can derive benefit from it), and would also permit a more complete digestion.<ref name="Gibson 2009"/><ref name="Cameron" />

	In 2016, a study of the expression of genes in the plant's leaves as they captured and digested prey was published in the journal ''[[Genome Research]]''. The gene activation observed in the leaves of the plants gives support to the hypothesis that the carnivorous mechanisms present in the flytrap are a specially adapted version of mechanisms used by non-carnivorous plants to defend against herbivorous insects.<ref name="Venus flytrap carnivorous lifestyle builds on herbivore defense strategies" /><ref>{{cite journal\|last1=Stokstad\|first1=E.\|title=How the Venus flytrap acquired its taste for meat\|journal=Science\|date=12 May 2016\|volume=352\|issue=6287\|pages=756\|doi=10.1126/science.352.6287.756\|pmid=27174967\|bibcode=2016Sci...352..756S}}</ref> In many non-carnivorous plants, [[jasmonic acid]] serves as a signaling molecule for the activation of defense mechanisms, such as the production of hydrolases, which can destroy [[chitin]] and other molecular components of insect and microbial pests.<ref>{{cite journal\|last1=Turner\|first1=John G.\|last2=Ellis\|first2=Christine\|last3=Devoto\|first3=Alessandra\|title=The Jasmonate Signal Pathway\|journal=The Plant Cell\|date=1 May 2002\|volume=14\|issue=suppl 1\|pages=S153–S164\|doi=10.1105/tpc.000679\|language=en\|issn=1532-298X\|pmid=12045275\|pmc=151253\|bibcode=2002PlanC..14S.153T }}</ref> In the Venus flytrap, this same molecule has been found to be responsible for the activation of the plant's digestive glands. A few hours after the capture of prey, another set of genes is activated inside the glands, the same set of genes that is active in the roots of other plants, allowing them to absorb nutrients. The use of similar biological pathways in the traps as non-carnivorous plants use for other purposes indicates that somewhere in its evolutionary history, the Venus flytrap repurposed these genes to facilitate carnivory.<ref name="Pain">{{cite journal \|last1=Pain \|first1=Stephanie \|title=How plants turned predator \|journal=Knowable Magazine \|date=2 March 2022 \|doi=10.1146/knowable-030122-1\|doi-access=free \|url=https://knowablemagazine.org/article/living-world/2022/how-plants-turned-predator \|access-date=11 March 2022}}</ref><ref name="Hedrich">{{cite journal \|last1=Hedrich \|first1=Rainer \|last2=Fukushima \|first2=Kenji \|title=On the Origin of Carnivory: Molecular Physiology and Evolution of Plants on an Animal Diet \|journal=Annual Review of Plant Biology \|date=17 June 2021 \|volume=72 \|issue=1 \|pages=133–153 \|doi=10.1146/annurev-arplant-080620-010429 \|pmid=33434053 \|s2cid=231595236 \|issn=1543-5008\|doi-access=free \|bibcode=2021AnRPB..72..133H }}</ref>		In 2016, a study of the expression of genes in the plant's leaves as they captured and digested prey was published in the journal ''[[Genome Research]]''. The gene activation observed in the leaves of the plants gives support to the hypothesis that the carnivorous mechanisms present in the flytrap are a specially adapted version of mechanisms used by non-carnivorous plants to defend against herbivorous insects.<ref name="Venus flytrap carnivorous lifestyle builds on herbivore defense strategies" /><ref>{{cite journal\|last1=Stokstad\|first1=E.\|title=How the Venus flytrap acquired its taste for meat\|journal=Science\|date=12 May 2016\|volume=352\|issue=6287\|pages=756\|doi=10.1126/science.352.6287.756\|pmid=27174967\|bibcode=2016Sci...352..756S}}</ref> In many non-carnivorous plants, [[jasmonic acid]] serves as a signaling molecule for the activation of defense mechanisms, such as the production of hydrolases, which can destroy [[chitin]] and other molecular components of insect and microbial pests.<ref>{{cite journal\|last1=Turner\|first1=John G.\|last2=Ellis\|first2=Christine\|last3=Devoto\|first3=Alessandra\|title=The Jasmonate Signal Pathway\|journal=The Plant Cell\|date=1 May 2002\|volume=14\|issue=suppl 1\|pages=S153–S164\|doi=10.1105/tpc.000679\|language=en\|issn=1532-298X\|pmid=12045275\|pmc=151253\|bibcode=2002PlanC..14S.153T }}</ref> In the Venus flytrap, this same molecule has been found to be responsible for the activation of the plant's digestive glands. A few hours after the capture of prey, another set of genes is activated inside the glands, the same set of genes that is active in the roots of other plants, allowing them to absorb nutrients. The use of similar biological pathways in the traps as non-carnivorous plants use for other purposes indicates that somewhere in its evolutionary history, the Venus flytrap repurposed these genes to facilitate carnivory.<ref name="Pain">{{cite journal \|last1=Pain \|first1=Stephanie \|title=How plants turned predator \|journal=Knowable Magazine \|date=2 March 2022 \|doi=10.1146/knowable-030122-1\|doi-access=free \|url=https://knowablemagazine.org/article/living-world/2022/how-plants-turned-predator \|access-date=11 March 2022\|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="Hedrich">{{cite journal \|last1=Hedrich \|first1=Rainer \|last2=Fukushima \|first2=Kenji \|title=On the Origin of Carnivory: Molecular Physiology and Evolution of Plants on an Animal Diet \|journal=Annual Review of Plant Biology \|date=17 June 2021 \|volume=72 \|issue=1 \|pages=133–153 \|doi=10.1146/annurev-arplant-080620-010429 \|pmid=33434053 \|s2cid=231595236 \|issn=1543-5008\|doi-access=free \|bibcode=2021AnRPB..72..133H }}</ref>

	===Proposed evolutionary history===		===Proposed evolutionary history===

imported>TypoEater: /* Evolution */ Minor grammar fix

2025-06-01T00:34:53Z

Evolution: Minor grammar fix

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