2010-06-11

Carnivorous Plants

Fatal Attraction

They lure insects into death traps, then gorge on their flesh. Is that any way for a plant to behave?

Collected from: Carnivorous Plants - National Geographic Magazine

Collected from: YouTube - Plantas Carnivoras

Carnivorous plant

Carnivorous plants are plants that derive some or most of their nutrients (but not energy) from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants appear adapted to grow in places where the soil is thin or poor in nutrients, especially nitrogen, such as acidic bogs and rock outcroppings. Charles Darwin wrote the first well-known treatise on carnivorous plants in 1875.

Trapping mechanisms

Five basic trapping mechanisms are found in carnivorous plants.

Pitfall traps (pitcher plants) trap prey in a rolled leaf that contains a pool of digestive enzymes or bacteria.
Flypaper traps use a sticky mucilage.
Snap traps utilize rapid leaf movements.
Bladder traps suck in prey with a bladder that generates an internal vacuum.
Lobster-pot traps force prey to move towards a digestive organ with inward-pointing hairs.

The primitive pitchers of Heliamphora chimantensis are an example of pitfall traps.

The snap traps of Dionaea muscipula close rapidly when triggered to trap prey between two lobes.

Collected from: Carnivorous plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mouse gets eaten by Nepenthes carnivorous plant!

Collected from: YouTube - Mouse gets eaten by Nepenthes carnivorous plant!

Frog eaten by venus flytrap

Collected from: YouTube - frog eaten by venus flytrap

Sources
Carnivorous Plants - National Geographic Magazine
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/03/carnivorous-plants/zimmer-text
YouTube - Plantas Carnivoras
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZWus82h3MY&feature=related
Carnivorous plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivorous_plant
YouTube - Mouse gets eaten by Nepenthes carnivorous plant!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJCaG4tOaAU&feature=related
YouTube - frog eaten by venus flytrap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymnLpQNyI6g&feature=related

Related
Barry's Book
http://www.sarracenia.com/cp.html
The Carnivorous Plant FAQ
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html
Carnivorous Plants
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/carnivor.htm
International Carnivorous Plant Society Homepage
http://www.carnivorousplants.org/

2009-06-26

Talking To Plants

Clipped from: Talking To Plants Cartoons

Clipped from: Women's voices 'make plants grow faster' finds Royal Horticultural Society - Telegraph

Women's voices 'make plants grow faster' finds Royal Horticultural Society

Talking to plants makes them grow, especially if you are a woman, according to an experiment by the Royal Horticultural Society.

In an experiment run over a month, they found that tomato plants grew up to two inches taller if they were serenaded by the dulcet tones of a female rather than a male.
[...]

Appropriately the most effective talk came from Sarah Darwin, whose great-great grandfather was legendary botanist Charles Darwin, one of the founding fathers of the RHS' Scientific Committee.
She read a read a passage from the On the Origin of Species and beat nine other 'voices'.
Her plant grew nearly two inches taller than the best performing male and half an inch higher than her nearest competitor.

Clipped from: Prince was right: study shows talking to plants helps them grow - Times Online

Prince was right: study shows talking to plants helps them grow

The Prince of Wales was right all along. Plants really do like it if you talk to them.
What he did not know is that they prefer to hear a woman’s voice. And what really encourages them to grow is a direct descendant of Charles Darwin.
These are the conclusions of a month-long study by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) into the effect of the human voice on tomato plants.

Clipped from: BBC NEWS | UK | England | Surrey | Darwin relative helps plants grow

Darwin relative helps plants grow

The voice that best encourages plants to grow taller belongs to a relative of Charles Darwin, according to plant experts in Surrey.

Clipped from: Does talking to plants actually help them grow?

Does talking to plants actually help them grow?

The idea of talking to plants was introduced in 1848, when Dr. Gustav Theodor Fechner, a German professor, suggested the idea in his book Nanna (Soul-life of Plants). He believed that plants were capable of emotions, just like humans, and you could promote healthy growth by showering your plants with attention and talk.
[...]
And in 1970, New York dentist George Milstein released Music to Grow Plants By, a record of songs to play for your plants. In fact, a few studies seemed to confirm that classical or soothing music would benefit plants, while loud aggressive music, like rock music, could cause them to wither and die. If you are a proponent of the theory, there are several records out there to help your houseplants be happy and healthy.

Clipped from: The DoveSong Foundation -- The effect of Music on Plants (The Plant Experiments)

Dorothy Retallack and Professor Broman working with the plants used in music experiments.

Clipped from: Music-loving Plants and Music-giving Plants | Kids Discover > Earth facts for kids > Music-loving Plants and Music-giving Plants | Pitara Kids Network

Music-loving Plants and Music-giving Plants

Experiments show that plants thrive if soothing instrumental music is played in the background. On the other hand they shrivel and die if exposed to heavy metal or rock music. And now a Japanese company has created a gadget that puts you in touch with the 'feelings' of plants.

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2010-06-11