Scientists have discovered a carnivorous plant that creates prey-capturing contraptions underground, feeding on subterranean creatures such as worms, larvae and beetles.
The newly discovered species of carnivorous plant was unearthed in the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. Like other pitcher plants, Nepenthes pudica has modified leaves, known as pitfall traps or pitchers, into which its prey falls before being consumed. (One species is so large that it can trap mice.)
No other species of carnivorous plant known to science captures its prey underground.
The plant forms specialized underground shoots with small, white, chlorophyll-free leaves, the researchers said. The pitchers are much larger than the leaves and have a reddish color.
“This species places its pitchers up to 11 cm long (4.3 inches) underground, where they form in cavities or directly in the soil and trap animals that live underground, usually ants, mites, and beetles,” said lead author of the study, Martin Dančák of Palacký Olomouc University, Czech Republic, in a press release.
Only three other groups of carnivorous plants are known to capture subterranean prey, but they all use very different capture mechanisms and, unlike Nepenthes pudica, can capture only tiny organisms, the researchers said.
“Interestingly, we found several organisms living inside the jars, including mosquito larvae, nematodes and a species of worm, which was also described as a new species,” said Václav Čermák of Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic, who was also part of of the research team.
Luck played a role in his discovery. Scientists noticed plants on the mountain they were exploring that closely resembled Nepenthes but did not produce pitchers. An initial search showed a misshapen jar sticking out of the ground.
“At first, we thought it was an accidentally buried pitcher and that local environmental conditions caused a shortage of other pitchers,” said Ľuboš Majeský of Palacký Olomouc University, who was part of the research team.
“Still, as we continue to find other pitcherless plants along the climb to the summit, we wonder if a carnivorous plant species could have evolved to lose carnivory, as seen in some other carnivorous plants.”
But then, while taking pictures, Majeský said he ripped a moss pad from a tree base; revealing a bunch of jars with a rich brown hue.
This discovery is important for nature conservation in Indonesian Borneo, which is a biodiversity hotspot.
“We hope that the discovery of this unique carnivorous plant can help protect Borneo’s rainforests, especially preventing or at least delaying the conversion of pristine forests to oil palm plantations,” said Wewin Tjiasmanto of the Indonesian conservation group Yayasan Konservasi Biota Lahan Basah. in Surabaya, which helped discover the new species.
The research was published in the journal PhytoKeys.
Source: CNN Brasil
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