Deadly plant kills pollinators but takes care of its young

A new study published in the scientific journal New Scientist this Tuesday (20), indicates a evolution in the relationship between the deadly plant Arisaema and its pollinators . According to research, the relationship can be mutually beneficial, even if one party dies in the process.

Plants from the Arisaema family, famous for capturing and killing their pollinators, can also serve as a kind of nursery for insect eggs revealing a relationship that challenges existing assumptions.

It was initially said that such plants attract their primary pollinators, which are fungus gnats, mimicking the appearance and smell of moldy mushrooms. Once the insect is inside the plant, it cannot crawl out, as the flower has a substance inside it that traps it.

By fighting inside the plant's body, the mosquito spreads pollen and completely pollinates the plant. However, it ends up dying in the process due to wear and tear, making the process only beneficial to one side.

Now, however, researchers believe the pollinator may also have an advantage.

Kenji Suetsugu and his team from Kobe University, Japan, incubated 62 flowers of the Arisaema species and noticed something unusual. The trapped mosquitoes laid their eggs in the flower crowns. When the flowers began to die, these larvae fed on their withered, decaying flesh and, a few weeks later, emerged as healthy adults.

“The fact that traps can perform a dual function, as a pollination site and as a nursery for the next generation of pollinators, is indeed surprising,” Suetsugu told the magazine.

Furthermore, some mosquitoes were able to escape from inside the plants before it was “too late,” which could mean that the relationship is not strictly lethal for the pollinator, Suetsugu explained.

This means that plants are starting to find a balance between ensuring pollination and not completely depleting the pollinating mosquito population.

“These findings suggest that the relationship between Arisaema and its pollinators is much more complex than previously thought and cannot be categorized as purely mutualistic or antagonistic”, concluded the researcher.