Some Carnivorous Plants Also Like A Little Veggies In Their Diet

Most of us have seen "The Little Shop of Horrors," but do we really know how carnivorous plants function? And more to the point, did you know that some of these plants like a little bit of vegetables in their diet, too?

Recent findings published in the journal Annals of Botany reveal that the aquatic carnivorous bladderwort, which can be found in many lakes and ponds worldwide, not only gains an advantage from eating little animals, but it also likes some algae and pollen grains, too.

Statistics show that the bladderworts (Utricularia) are one of the largest genera in carnivorous plants, with over 200 different species. They catch their prey by using sophisticated suction traps that help produce a hydrostatic under pressure. When a valve-like trap door opens with a little stimulation, anything in its way is sucked in in just about three milliseconds. Any prey that enters the trap dies soon after of suffocation. What also makes these guys so special is their ability to live in climates with relatively poor nutrient options.

Researchers screened the prey in more than 2,000 traps of the plant. They discovered that only about 10 percent were actually animals, whereas 50 percent of the prey objects were algae. Particularly in nutrient poor habitats like in peat bogs, algae were even more dominant in the prey.

Though pollen and algae had previously been considered useless bycatch that was accidentally scooped up when other prey were taken into the trap, researchers now believe that taking in these other nutrients helped the plants form more biomass. Furthermore, those with more a variety in their diet tended to be healthier and in the best shape.

Now it makes more sense how these plants are able to live quite well in environments with smaller amounts of prey.

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