Venus Fly Trap Research Paper
Dionaea Muscipula
A carnivorous plant is uncommon. Rather than just soaking in the sunrays and photosynthesizing, it lures preys in by secreting sweet nectar. This intriguing eukaryotic plant has a unique anatomical function, out of the ordinarily expected geographical location, and is something that can be grown. The venus fly trap was studied by Carolus Linnaeus and later by Charles Darwin. To figure out how this plant survived or simply operated with its’ sensory hairs was fascinating to them. Though one may think this plant is found in tropical places, its’ location is in North Carolina. It can be found about 50 miles out of Wilmington and sometimes in the northern portion of South Carolina. This fact makes it possible to be grown in your own home or backyard. There are various types and …show more content…
mutations of this plant. Some botanists have experimented with the plant to see how it will affect the size and or overall function. Although this exists, it is nothing like the venus fly trap in “The Little Shop of Horror” movie! That is fictional and used for entertainment. If indeed one is interested in growing one, it will reach a maximum size of about 13 centimeters or 5 inches in diameter. The number of traps that are grown will vary according to how well cared for it is. With good care, there is a possibility of 20 large traps. Whether you have a green thumb or not, this plant will be easy to take care of. This is a potable plant. A lot of people use peat, sphagnum moss, sand and perlite for the soil. Usually there is a combination of these. It is also recommended that you use a plastic pot from a clay pot. That way there is a less chance of any other moss type growing around the plant. Growing a venus fly trap doesn’t require a certain temperature, which is great so you don’t have to have a green house. A higher humidity is recommended, but is not critical to the growth of the plant. In a place of lower humidity the soil should always be damp. Like all other plants, overwatering it can do damage. Full direct sunlight at least four hours a day is best for the plant. Even if it is underneath artificial light, four hours is best and as much light as possible will help the growth. You should use rainwater or other water that would have a low concentration of dissolved solids. So essentially, a venus fly trap is just like any other plant. Provide sunlight, water, and it will catch its’ dinner! As we all know, plants don’t have physiological organs like our brain. They are unable to tell themselves that they are hungry, and must rely on nature or humans to water or give them nutrients. The venus fly trap however, is able to capture and digest its’ food in the traps. Every type of plant has a way of attracting bugs. For example, flowers have pollen and bees are always around them for that reason. The venus fly trap, secretes a sweet and slightly sticky nectar to seduce its’ prey. There is no specific prey that is targeted. Whichever bug ends up in the trap, the plant will decide whether or not it is able to digest it. Flies are usually the most prey caught. If you are growing one, letting it catch live flies will be best. This way the flies will activate the trigger hairs from their movement. A dead fly has no movement and will not cause a sensory trigger for the venus fly trap. The trigger hairs serve as primitive motion detectors. If two or more hairs a touched, or one hair is touched twice, the leaves of the trap snaps shut. This happens in about .29 seconds. Lysophosphatidic acid has been discovered as the muscle contracting substance (MCS) in the traps of the venus fly trap. Once the MCS closes the trap, an enzyme gets activated. When touched, the trigger hairs activate the enzyme phospholipase D. This enzyme hydrolyses the phospholipids of membranes, and is important in digesting the bug. Once a prey is captured, the process takes a minimum of a week. It is approximately a seven to twelve day digestion. But before digesting a bug, the venus fly trap actually waits for the bug to settle. As mentioned before, it decides what it can and can’t digest. If the bug continues to move, the trap will eventually open up again. If an insect is too large, it can cause problems. The trap will not be able to close tightly, allowing bacteria or mold to get in. This will later affect the plant itself. The traps will lose the ability of being able to open and close, for an estimated eleven times. Once it is unable to close it focuses on the process of photosynthesis. Pictured to the left here, are visible trigger hairs. There are six trigger hairs present in each trap. Also pictured are cilia, which help enclose the bug so nothing can get in our out. Though listed above is a muscle contracting substance and enzyme, to this day it is a hypothesis. Nonmoving objects such as stones, twigs or leaves can sometimes fall into the trap. These objects won’t be triggering the motion detectors of the trigger hairs. In result, the trap would have only partially closed. What follows is a twelve-hour long process in which the trap will fully reopen. And hopefully when the trap has reopened, the unwanted object will fall out. Carnivorous plants are uncommon and not many people have them.
With much research one is capable of growing a venus fly trap in their own home. Although this plant has been studies since the 17th or 18th century, most of it still remains a mystery. As botanists continue to study the function of this plant, mysteries turn into facts.
References:
"The Mysterious Venus Fly Trap." N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. http://www.botany.org/bsa/misc/carn.html
Jacobson, Stuart L. "Receptor Response in Venus 's Fly Trap." The Journal of Cell Biology. N.p., 1 Sept. 1965. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
James O. Luken. (2012) Long-Term Outcomes of Venus Flytrap ( Dionaea muscipula ) Establishment. Restoration Ecology 20:6, 669-670
Online publication date: 1-Nov-2012.
Scala, J., K. Lott, D. W. Schwab, and F. E. Semersky. "Digestive Secretion of Venus Fly Trap." Plant Physiology. American Society of Plant Biologists, Mar. 1969. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
Pavlovic, Andrej, Viktor Demko, and Ján Húdak. "Trap Closure and Prey Retention in Venus Fly Trap." Oxford Journals. N.p., Mar. 2010. Web. 2 May
2013.
A carnivorous plant is uncommon. Rather than just soaking in the sunrays and photosynthesizing, it lures preys in by secreting sweet nectar. This intriguing eukaryotic plant has a unique anatomical function, out of the ordinarily expected geographical location, and is something that can be grown. The venus fly trap was studied by Carolus Linnaeus and later by Charles Darwin. To figure out how this plant survived or simply operated with its’ sensory hairs was fascinating to them. Though one may think this plant is found in tropical places, its’ location is in North Carolina. It can be found about 50 miles out of Wilmington and sometimes in the northern portion of South Carolina. This fact makes it possible to be grown in your own home or backyard. There are various types and …show more content…
mutations of this plant. Some botanists have experimented with the plant to see how it will affect the size and or overall function. Although this exists, it is nothing like the venus fly trap in “The Little Shop of Horror” movie! That is fictional and used for entertainment. If indeed one is interested in growing one, it will reach a maximum size of about 13 centimeters or 5 inches in diameter. The number of traps that are grown will vary according to how well cared for it is. With good care, there is a possibility of 20 large traps. Whether you have a green thumb or not, this plant will be easy to take care of. This is a potable plant. A lot of people use peat, sphagnum moss, sand and perlite for the soil. Usually there is a combination of these. It is also recommended that you use a plastic pot from a clay pot. That way there is a less chance of any other moss type growing around the plant. Growing a venus fly trap doesn’t require a certain temperature, which is great so you don’t have to have a green house. A higher humidity is recommended, but is not critical to the growth of the plant. In a place of lower humidity the soil should always be damp. Like all other plants, overwatering it can do damage. Full direct sunlight at least four hours a day is best for the plant. Even if it is underneath artificial light, four hours is best and as much light as possible will help the growth. You should use rainwater or other water that would have a low concentration of dissolved solids. So essentially, a venus fly trap is just like any other plant. Provide sunlight, water, and it will catch its’ dinner! As we all know, plants don’t have physiological organs like our brain. They are unable to tell themselves that they are hungry, and must rely on nature or humans to water or give them nutrients. The venus fly trap however, is able to capture and digest its’ food in the traps. Every type of plant has a way of attracting bugs. For example, flowers have pollen and bees are always around them for that reason. The venus fly trap, secretes a sweet and slightly sticky nectar to seduce its’ prey. There is no specific prey that is targeted. Whichever bug ends up in the trap, the plant will decide whether or not it is able to digest it. Flies are usually the most prey caught. If you are growing one, letting it catch live flies will be best. This way the flies will activate the trigger hairs from their movement. A dead fly has no movement and will not cause a sensory trigger for the venus fly trap. The trigger hairs serve as primitive motion detectors. If two or more hairs a touched, or one hair is touched twice, the leaves of the trap snaps shut. This happens in about .29 seconds. Lysophosphatidic acid has been discovered as the muscle contracting substance (MCS) in the traps of the venus fly trap. Once the MCS closes the trap, an enzyme gets activated. When touched, the trigger hairs activate the enzyme phospholipase D. This enzyme hydrolyses the phospholipids of membranes, and is important in digesting the bug. Once a prey is captured, the process takes a minimum of a week. It is approximately a seven to twelve day digestion. But before digesting a bug, the venus fly trap actually waits for the bug to settle. As mentioned before, it decides what it can and can’t digest. If the bug continues to move, the trap will eventually open up again. If an insect is too large, it can cause problems. The trap will not be able to close tightly, allowing bacteria or mold to get in. This will later affect the plant itself. The traps will lose the ability of being able to open and close, for an estimated eleven times. Once it is unable to close it focuses on the process of photosynthesis. Pictured to the left here, are visible trigger hairs. There are six trigger hairs present in each trap. Also pictured are cilia, which help enclose the bug so nothing can get in our out. Though listed above is a muscle contracting substance and enzyme, to this day it is a hypothesis. Nonmoving objects such as stones, twigs or leaves can sometimes fall into the trap. These objects won’t be triggering the motion detectors of the trigger hairs. In result, the trap would have only partially closed. What follows is a twelve-hour long process in which the trap will fully reopen. And hopefully when the trap has reopened, the unwanted object will fall out. Carnivorous plants are uncommon and not many people have them.
With much research one is capable of growing a venus fly trap in their own home. Although this plant has been studies since the 17th or 18th century, most of it still remains a mystery. As botanists continue to study the function of this plant, mysteries turn into facts.
References:
"The Mysterious Venus Fly Trap." N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. http://www.botany.org/bsa/misc/carn.html
Jacobson, Stuart L. "Receptor Response in Venus 's Fly Trap." The Journal of Cell Biology. N.p., 1 Sept. 1965. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
James O. Luken. (2012) Long-Term Outcomes of Venus Flytrap ( Dionaea muscipula ) Establishment. Restoration Ecology 20:6, 669-670
Online publication date: 1-Nov-2012.
Scala, J., K. Lott, D. W. Schwab, and F. E. Semersky. "Digestive Secretion of Venus Fly Trap." Plant Physiology. American Society of Plant Biologists, Mar. 1969. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
Pavlovic, Andrej, Viktor Demko, and Ján Húdak. "Trap Closure and Prey Retention in Venus Fly Trap." Oxford Journals. N.p., Mar. 2010. Web. 2 May
2013.