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ADAPTED DEFENSE MOLECULES. "Carnivorous sundew plants catch and digest insect prey for their own nutrition. The sundew species Drosera capensis shows a pronounced leaf bending reaction upon prey capture in order to form an ‘outer stomach’. This formation is triggered by jasmonates, phytohormones typically involved in defence reactions against herbivory and wounding." https://lnkd.in/eRtdmBc View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this two weekend section on carnivorous plants. The discovery of the curious characteristics of these plants has probably not been exhausted. Action potentials, unusual genetics, acute sensing and movement, the carnivorous lifestyle with digestive enzymes, natural antibiotics, a complex microbiome, special slippery slopes to trap prey, and ultrasound protection may be the tip of the iceberg. View in LinkedIn

LARGE TRANSCRIPTOME CHANGES. "We show that the transcriptomic landscape of the Dionaea trap is dramatically shifted toward signal transduction and nutrient transport upon insect feeding, with touch hormone signaling and protein secretion prevailing. At the same time, a massive induction of general defense responses is accompanied by the repression of cell death–related genes/processes." https://lnkd.in/eMqKE3X View in LinkedIn

NATURAL ANTIBIOTIC. "Antimicrobial Activity of the Carnivorous Plant Dionaea muscipula Against Food-Related Pathogenic and Putrefactive Bacteria. The UV, MS, and NMR analyses revealed that the antibacterial compound was plumbagin." https://lnkd.in/e9VTVUF View in LinkedIn

EXAPTATION. "Venus flytrap carnivorous lifestyle builds on herbivore defense strategies. We hypothesize that the carnivory syndrome of Dionaea evolved by exaptation of ancient defense pathways, replacing cell death with nutrient acquisition." https://lnkd.in/eMqKE3X View in LinkedIn

PROTECTION. "When the carnivorous plant D. muscipula digests insects, the possibility exists that it could become infected by any pathogenic bacteria present in those insects. Instead, the plant appears to absorb the nutrients it requires from the insects that it ingests without becoming infected." https://lnkd.in/e9VTVUF View in LinkedIn

REPURPOSING OLD MACHINERY. "Many biologists suspect ancestors of carnivorous plants evolved by adapting mechanisms normally used to detect and defend against herbivores. Experiments showed that the flytrap digests its prey with the same kind digestive enzymes that other plants use to ward off insects. A few hours after catching prey, the flytrap turns on another set of familiar genes to absorb nutrients; many of these genes are expressed in the roots of other plants." https://lnkd.in/epbzadB View in LinkedIn

MICROBIOME OF CARNIVOROUS PLANTS. "The opportunistic feeding behavior, to catch and utilize various prey, provides Genlisea plants alternative N- and P- macronutrient sources from microbes. The abundance of bacteria involved in nitrogen cycling (ammonia oxidizing, nitrite reducing and nitrogen fixation) indicates their importance for the gain of N- nutrients. In addition, various transporters for different N- forms such as ammonium, nitrate, amino acids and oligopeptides together with transcription factors involved in cellular nitrogen metabolism are highly up-regulated in Genlisea rhizophylls." https://lnkd.in/e7w_sxr View in LinkedIn

ULTRASOUND REFLECTOR. "A carnivorous plant features an ultrasound reflector attractive for mutualistic bats. This reflector enables the bats to easily find and identify the plant’s pitchers. The bats fertilize these Paleotropical plants with feces in exchange for roosts. Such reflectors were convergently acquired in Neotropical bat-pollinated plants." https://lnkd.in/ecwdnWm View in LinkedIn

ALTERNATIVE MECHANISM. "Rapid closure is brought about by a combination of elastic properties and biochemical/biophysical changes in the motor cells. However, unlike animal neuronal action potentials in which Na+/Ca2+ ions carry the depolarizing phase of the action potential, the rapid depolarization component of the Venus flytrap action potential is most likely brought about by the opening of rapid (R-type) anion channels since plants lack the voltage-sensitive cation channels that characterise animal excitability." http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098221300849X View in LinkedIn