Carnivorous Plants

It is about what are carnivorous plants, what types of plants are there, how they work, and finally, how can they help us.
Anya Cui Ellie Wang
Grade 5

Problem

How can Carnivorous Plants be helpful when it comes to house pest and invasive species?

Method

Carnivorous Plants can eat house bugs and they can be quite cool.

Research

Pitfall Traps: Pitfall traps are plants with little jug-shaped traps filled with digestive enzymes. When a plant is lured by the sweet smell of nectar to the trap, the insect will fall in and get eaten by the digestive enzymes. 

 

Suction Traps: Suction traps are underwater plants that have tiny hollow sacs called ‘bladders’. When a mite or insect swims up to the bladder and touches the trigger hairs, a small door will open on the bladder and a jet of water will wash the bug in to digest with digestive enzymes.   

 

Flypaper Traps: Flypaper traps are plants with leaves or vines that are covered with a sticky substance stronger than glue! When an insect lands on the plant, it will be stuck fast to the flypaper trap. Then, the plant will let out digestive enzymes to digest the insect. 

 

Pitfall Traps: Pitfall traps are plants with little jug-shaped traps filled with digestive enzymes. When a plant is lured by the sweet smell of nectar to the trap, the insect will fall in and get eaten by the digestive enzymes. 

 

Here is the information about the different carnivorous plants:

Venus Flytrap Research:

 

Venus Flytraps are carnivorous plants that grow between 6-12 inches tall and 6-8 inches wide. Venus Flytraps look like green vines growing out of the soil. On each of these vines are leafy jaws that look like clams. These special snap traps can snap and eat their prey with their many jaws. They can grow in poor soil because the plant can absorb nutrients from the bugs and mites it eats. They actually prefer to grow in sandy areas that are acidic! Venus Flytraps can live up to 20 years in the wild. They have traps that look like jaws and can attract bugs with a red substance that makes them look like a flower, and its sweet, fruity smell. Once an insect comes and lands on the surface, they will touch the trigger hairs located on the red part of the plant. Once these hairs are touched 2-3 times, these tiny bristles will signal to the plant to shut the trap. These traps can actually close in half a second! It is impossible for an insect to escape after the trap shuts because of its interlocking bristles that close the gap. After the trap closes, it will release digestive enzymes to digest it. Venus Flytraps will also eat ants, beetles, grasshoppers, flying insects, and spiders. In order to reproduce, they will grow small flowers on a tall stem that carry seeds.  

 

 

Waterwheel Plant Research:

 

Waterwheel traps are carnivorous snap traps that prey on small underwater organisms! They eat insects such as mosquito larvae. They live in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Waterwheel plants grow underwater in lakes, rivers, swamps, ditches, wetlands, and other suitable places where there is soft, acidic waters with low nutrient levels. In the wild, Waterwheel plants will typically live up to 2-3 years. They will also typically grow up to 6 to 11 centimeters (2.4 to 4.3 inches). These plants are like spheres with stumpy vines sticking out of it, and on these vines they have little traps that are very similar to the traps on Venus Flytraps. When an underwater mite or insect swims past them, they will brush against the trigger hairs on a waterwheel plant, which are located all around the traps. These special trigger hairs will signal to the plant to shut the trap. The trap will immediately shut, and the Waterwheel plant will let out digestive enzymes to digest its prey. These plants will reproduce by growing flowers above the water surface that carry seeds. 



 

 Pitcher Plant Research:

 

Pitcher plants are Pitfall traps that prey on insects and small animals. They live in Madagascar, Southeast Asia, Australia and a few other regions. Pitcher plants grow in bogs, swamps, wet meadows, and savannas with acidic, water-saturated soils. Wild Pitcher plants can live up to 50 years and over! These pitfall traps can also grow from 6 inches to 36 inches, depending on the variety. Pitcher plants can come in all kinds of colors, such as red, purple, white, green, yellow, and copper. Pitcher Plants look like ferns with broad leaves. Some leaves will taper to a small, thin stem, and a trap hangs from the stem. A pitcher plant’s traps look like small pitchers, which is also where they get their name from. These special vessel-shaped traps are filled with digestive liquids. The lip of the trap has sweet-smelling nectar on it, which attracts insects. When an insect comes to drink the sweet nectar, they will fall into the trap due to the slippery rim and drown in the digestive enzymes. After they fall in, the plant will digest and absorb nutrients from the bug. Some pitcher plants also have a leaf lid to put on the opening of the trap so the insect doesn’t escape. Pitcher plants can reproduce through two different ways. The first way is that the pitcher plant will produce flowers that are pollinated by insects, and turn into seed pods. These seed pods will eventually release the seeds to grow into new pitcher plants. The second way is that a new plant will grow from the underground roots of the parent plant. This method produces genetically identical offspring and allows the plant to spread in its habitat. 

 

 

Cobra Lily Research:

 

Cobra lilies look and imitate a cobra in looks. Their body is shaped like a cobra and even has a small red “tongue”! Cobra lilies live in the northern mountains of California and the Oregon coast. You can find them in boggy areas or streambanks with cold waters fed from the mountains. Cobra Lilies will typically live up to several years in the wild, and they will grow from 6-24 inches tall. Cobra lilies will feast on insects and other small animals. These plants lure prey by its small nectar glands embedded on its small red “tongue”. When an insect flies by, it will smell the sweet scent of nectar and fly straight onto the little red tongue. The insect will get confused where the nectar is and then it will walk up the red “tongue” and through a small opening just above the red “tongue” to find the nectar. Inside the trap, there are small translucent patches that represent windows. The true exit will then be concealed. Then, the bug will get confused and eventually it will slip and fall directly into the trap where it will get eaten. Strangely, Cobra lilies don’t have digestive enzymes. Instead, they rely on bacteria to break down its prey so that they can digest it. Cobra lilies will also grow flowers to attract pollinators to pollinate them, too. These flowers will produce seed pods for reproduction.

 

           


 

 

 

 Bladderwort Research:


 

Bladderworts are suction traps that prey on underwater mites. They can be found in lakes, streams and waterlogged soil across various regions. Bladderwort plants can live up to several years in the wild and can grow up to 1-3 feet tall! Bladderwort plants look like innocent little flowers floating on the water until you look underwater. The plant has vines that have more vines on it, and these second vines have the traps also known as bladders. The bladders will have trigger hairs that will signal to the plant if touched to trap the insect. The bladders have tiny little “doors” so that if the plant signals to open its door, a fast stream of water will suck its prey in really fast! The plant will then use enzymes or bacteria to break down and digest the bug. After 15-30 minutes, it will reopen and eat more bugs until it weakens and needs to be replaced. They can reproduce through parts of the parent plant such as the stem. Then, they will grow into new bladderwort plants. They can also produce seeds from the flowers. This allows the plant to quickly colonize the bodies of waters it lives in.

 

 

 

 Butterwort Research:

 

Butterworts are flypaper traps that prey on insects! They live in North America, Greenland, and Peru. Butterworts live in acidic areas that are wet all year round, moist rocks and in pockets of soil on limestone rocks. Butterworts can live up to several years and grow 1-18 inches in height, depending on the variety. Butterwort look like small, purple flowers with long stems. Protruding from the stem are several fat tentacles that look like starfish legs. Each of these tentacles are covered in a sticky substance used to trap their prey. Once a bug wanders onto a tentacle and gets stuck, the plant will release digestive enzymes  to digest the bug. Butterwort plants can reproduce through two ways. The first way is that they will produce seed pods through flowers. The seed pods will then develop into new butterwort plants. The second way is by losing their carnivorous leaves and growing non-carnivorous leaves in their place. When these non-carnivorous leaves are placed in soil, they will grow into new butterwort plants.



 

 

          
 

Data

No data. Our Science Fair topic is not experimental.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Carnivorous Plants can help with problems such as annoying house pests, invasive species, and even bugs that destroy crops.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Liz Jiang and Vera Wang, who helped us stay on task.