How Plants Became Carnivorous
Carnivorous plants are rare and only develop in certain habitats, but they are perhaps the most intriguing example of flora on the planet. So fascinating that Charles Darwin published an entire book on them in 1875 after a decade or more of research. It would take another 100-plus years before scientists could propose a definition of what counts as a carnivorous plant.
There are essentially two things that a plant has to do to be considered a carnivore: First, it has to have the ability to take in nutrients from dead prey and secondly, the plant has to have at least one adaptation that actively lures in, catches or digests its prey. But because this is nature, there are always exceptions to these rules.
So one of the nagging questions facing scientists is how and why does botanical carnivory keep evolving? It turns out that when any of the basic things that most plants need aren’t there, some plants can adapt in unexpected ways to make sure they thrive. Host Kallie Moore takes a deeper look into specifics and tells us how plants became carnivores in this episode of PBS Eons.
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