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The Plant which Traps and Feeds on Insects is

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: November 9th, 2023

The plant that traps and feeds on insects is the Pitcher plant. It is a group of several carnivorous plants with altered leaves known as pitfall traps. The nectar from the plants draws in and smothers their victim. Flies, insects foraging, flying, or crawling are drawn to the hollow created by the cupped leaf, frequently by visual lures such as nectar and anthocyanin colors. When the pitcher’s (peristome) rim is saturated by condensation or honey, it becomes slick and attracts insects, who fall into the trap.

Plant that traps and feeds on Insects

The pitcher plant is a plant that traps insects and consumes them. Some pitcher plants harbor mutualistic insect larvae, whose excretions the plant absorbs and feeds on trapped prey. Pitcher plants resemble a pitcher, and a leaf covers the mouth.

Insects that fall on the plant’s mouth become stuck and unable to escape. Insectivorous plants are referred to as hunting plants. Frogs, insects, and even mice are caught and eaten by these plants. It contains a prey-trapping mechanism that traps the insects within and prevents them from escaping.

Key Points about Pitcher Plants:

The Nepenthean and Sarraceniaceae families are typically referred to as “pitcher plants,” however, monotypic Cephalocele and some Bromeliaceous species also use similar pitfall traps.

  • Pitcher plants, also known as pitfall traps, are carnivorous plants with deep cavities filled with liquid as prey-trapping mechanisms.
  • Visual cues like anthocyanin hues and nectar incentives draw flies and other foraging, crawling insects or flies to the cupped leaf’s cavity.
  • The edges of the pitcher may be grooved or have a slick surface to prevent insects from climbing out.
  • The prey is transformed into a mixture of amino acids, phosphates, peptides, urea, and ammonium through a digestive process, providing the plant with mineral nutrients.
  • In areas where the soil is too acidic, mineral-deficient, or both for most plants to thrive, carnivorous plants can develop.

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