Carnivorous Plants Essay -- essays research papers

Carnivorous Plants     In a world where lay downs atomic number 18 at the bottom of the food-chain, someindividual works species vex evolved ways to reverse the order we expect tofind in nature. These insectivorous plants, as they atomic number 18 sometimes called, bethe predators , rather than the motionless prey. Adaptions such as odiferous luresand trapping mechanisms get made it possible for these photosynthesizers tocapture, chemically break-down and digest insect prey (and in some cases even picayune animals.) There is no reason to fear them though. The majority arherbaceous perennials, usually only 4 to 6 inches high, and nonhing like theplant in "Little Shop of Horrors".     Almost all carnivorous plants bind a basically similar ecology andseveral different species are often found growing almost side by side. They aremost likely to be found in swamps, bogs, damp heaths and ill-gotten or sandy shores.Drosophyllum lus itanicum from Portugal and Morocco is the one exception, itgrows on dry approximate hills. Like other green plants, carnivorous plantscontain the organic pigment chlorophyll. This pigment helps to mediate achemical process called photosynthesis. This converts light cogency into thechemical bond energy of carbohydrate which is utilized as cellular energy, plantgrowth and development. Water, carbon dioxide, nutrients and minerals are alsoneeded for survival. In wetlands, where stagnate water contains acidiccompounds and chemicals from decaying organic matter many another(prenominal) plants have adifficult time obtaining necessary nutrients. It is in these nutrient scummyconditions that some plants evolved different ways of obtaining nutrients. Theability of carnivorous plants to digest due north -rich animal protein enablesthese plants to survive in somewhat hostile environments.     The evolution of carnivorous plants is speculative due to the paucity ofthe fossil record. It is believed that plant carnivory may have evolved millionsof years ago from plants whose leaves formed depressions that retained rainwater. Small insects would sometimes fall into these water reservoirs and drown,eventually being decomposed by bacteria in the water. The nutrients from theinsects would be absorbed by the leaf. The deeper the leaf depression the moreinsects that could be drowned. This would have creat... ... as frogs and small rodents. Nepenthes are unique amongst carnivorousplants as the only dioecious genus, which means there are screen male andfemale plants. These plants are very endangered and several species or extinct.Some species of Nepenthes are sold for hundreds of dollars to collectors and areinvolved in illegal overseas trade.     The growing of carnivorous plants has become very touristed in recentyears. Unfortunately the endangered status of many species does not stopcollectors from risking high fines and field col lecting them. This has hadseriously impact on many species, but collectors are not the biggest problemfacing carnivorous plants. In the USA and other developed countries wetlandsare considered useless and are being drained and developed on. At present it isestimated that only 3-5% of carnivorous plant habitat remain in the US. Anotherproblem is that fires are put out before they spread even though many plants,such as the Venus fly trap, benefit from periodic burns. home ground destructionfrom slash and burn agriculture, however, does not benefit any of thecarnivorous plants and is also causing a great deal of the extinctions.