MEAT EATING PLANT FOUND STEALING BUGS FROM ITS NEIGHBOURS

[Judi Lynn]

BY SANDRINE CEURSTEMONT 06 MARCH 2018


Sundews growing in a Japanese bog turned out to be far more devious than imagined.



FINDING A SUNDEW plant with a healthy supply of insect food may not seem suspicious. After all, carnivorous plants are famed for supplementing their diet with meat to compensate for nutrient-poor soil.

But there may be devious behaviour going on behind the scenes. Some sundews growing in bogs in Japan steal insects lured by the flowers of neighbouring plants, according to Kazuki Tagawa from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, and his colleagues.

It seems to be a case of kleptoparasitism, which has only previously been witnessed in animals, where food is acquired from another species with nothing offered in return. For instance, frigatebirds steal their meals from red-footed boobies.

“As far as we know, this phenomenon has not been observed before,” says Tagawa, whose team reports their findings in Ecological Research.

More:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/nature/meat-eating-plant-found-stealing-bugs-from-its-neighbours.aspx

[Sneederbunk]

1. Do not allow near burgers.

[BigmanPigman]

2. That is much prettier than The Little Shop Of Horrors

plant Audrey.