Plant Carnivory: Role Reversal from Prey to Predator
Posted August 20, 2009 by Sarada Krishnan, Director of Horticulture
Typically plants fall at the bottom of the food chain, eaten by almost all other creatures. The exceptions to the rule are the carnivorous plants, displaying a role reversal from prey to predator. These plants have developed evolutionary mechanisms to trap insects and digest them in order to survive in the nutrient poor habitats they grow in. There are about 600 species of carnivorous plants belonging to 7 families and 15 genera. Carnivory in plants are exhibited by two types of trapping mechanisms – active trapping and passive trapping. The Venus fly trap (Dionaea muscipula) fall under the active trapping category and the pitcher plants (Nepenthes spp. and Sarracenia spp.) fall under the passive trapping category.
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