Super-fast prey speed of carnivorous plants

With the terrific fast shooting speed of Utricularia carnivorous plants, the ability of prey to escape is unimaginable.

Shiver with the fastest carnivorous plants in the world

Utricularia carnivorous plants, which are common in wetlands around the world, are capable of catching prey at speeds of less than 1 / 1,000 seconds , 100 times faster than Venus Flytrap flies .

Utricularia is known as the popular bubble tree . There are more than 200 species in the world, can live in both wet and wet environments. To survive without roots, bubble plants catch and eat tiny organisms, including tiny protozoa and crustaceans.

Close up of 'killer' Utricularia - (Photos: Wikipedia)

Although quite small, the bubble possesses an extremely complicated bait trap . The trap is only a few millimeters long, but its speed is so fast that the eye cannot be observed.

To see firsthand the speed of the " melancholy " of the bubble, expert Philippe Marmottant and colleagues at Grenoble University (France) used the device to record up to 10,000 images / second and close-up at the fall trap. down.

Results showed that the bubble tree was able to snatch a trap more quickly than any other carnivorous tree ever observed, according to the Royal Society B report. 0.5 / 1,000 seconds. Meanwhile, Venus Flytrap plants catch prey at a rate of 100 / 1,000 seconds.

"Because the trap works so fast, with an acceleration of 600 G (600 times gravity), it is difficult for any creature to escape such a trap, " Marmottant said.

Venus Flytrap must give up the bubble tree - (Photo: Wikipedia)

For ease of comparison, an astronaut is under pressure of about 3.5 G while the spacecraft takes off and escapes Earth's attraction. At 8 G, most people will lose consciousness.

Tiny traps make full use of energy by springing themselves into springs. First, the glands inside the trap pump water out. This means that the air inside the trap is much lower than the surrounding water. Trap doors bulge out, like the shape of contact lenses. When the prey stimulates the small hair line outside the door, the trap begins to collapse in the direction from the outside to inside. So the door opens, water and prey are caught. All takes place within 0.5 / 1,000 seconds.

If nothing activates the trap, it starts shooting water after a few hours. This action can bring plants or other viral plants to the bubble tree.

People can learn a few things from this special carnivorous plant, such as laboratory applications and devices commonly used daily such as inkjet printers .