Venus flytraps catch spiders and insects by snapping their trap leaves. This mechanism is activated when unsuspecting prey touch highly sensitive trigger hairs twice within 30 seconds. A study led by researchers at the University ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 10, 2020
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226
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) takes only 100 milliseconds to trap its prey. Once their leaves, which have been transformed into snap traps, have closed, insects can no longer escape. Using biomechanical experiments ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 23, 2020
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599
Plants can produce energy-rich biomass with the help of light, water and carbon dioxide. This is why they are at the beginning of the food chains. But carnivorous plants have turned the tables and prey on animals. Insects ...
Plants & Animals
May 15, 2020
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180
Physically bound to a specific location, plants have to devise special ways to secure their supply of vital nutrients. Most plants have developed a root system to the nutrients they need in order to survive out of the soil. ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 9, 2019
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140
In "Testing Darwin's Hypothesis about the Wonderful Venus Flytrap: Marginal Spikes Form a 'Horrid Prison' for Moderate-Sized Insect Prey," Alexander L. Davis investigates the importance of marginal spikes, the "teeth" lining ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 26, 2019
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46
The midrib of the leaf (which has been transformed into a snap trap) bends slightly downwards in a flash, the trap halves fold in, and the water flea can no longer escape – as part of an interdisciplinary team Anna Westermeier, ...
Plants & Animals
May 15, 2018
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3
While most people are familiar with Venus flytraps and their snapping jaws, there is still a lot that scientists don't know about the biology of these carnivorous plants. Researchers have for the first time discovered which ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 6, 2018
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536
The Venus flytrap digests its prey using enzymes produced by special glands. For the first time, a research team has measured and meticulously analysed the glands' activity.
Plants & Animals
Apr 21, 2017
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27
The Venus flytrap captures insects for more than just nutritional purposes: A research team lead by Prof. Dr. Heinz Rennenberg and Lukas Fasbender from the Institute of Forest Sciences at the University of Freiburg has proven ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 20, 2017
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65
Venus flytraps have fascinated biologists for centuries, however, the molecular underpinnings of their carnivorous lifestyle remain largely unknown. In a study published online today in Genome Research, researchers characterized ...
Plants & Animals
May 4, 2016
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35
