Why are insectivorous? Explain with the help of examples.
Answers
What are Insectivorous Plants?
Insectivorous means insect-eating, these plants derive most of their nutrition from the insects, that they trap and consume. These plants grow in humid areas, where plenty of sunlight and moisture is found. They are found in the nitrogen deficient soil. That is why they trap and digest insects to absorb nutrients. Venus flytrap, pitcher plant and cobra lily are some of the insectivorous plants’ names. They are often called Carnivorous plants.
Let us have a brief insight into the characteristics and examples of insectivorous plants.
Characteristics of Insectivorous Plants
The important characteristics of insectivorous plants are mentioned below:
Nitrogen Deficiency
They are found in the places, where there is a lack of some nutrients, especially nitrogen. They entrap insects and digest them to suffice their nitrogen requirement.
Attractants
The insectivorous plants are colourful and shiny in appearance to attract insects. They often have nectars and a pleasant odour to attract insects.
Inescapable Traps
Many insectivorous plants have special or modified plant parts to trap insects. The mouth of the insectivorous plants has hair-lined lined edges that snap or shut as soon as the insect touches the hair, thereby, trapping the insects. Some of the plants’ stalks are covered with sticky mucus-like substances where the insect sticks and cannot move.
Digestive Enzymes and Organisms
Some insectivorous plants secrete digestive enzymes that dissolve the insect for absorption. Others have bacteria or mites in their digestive tract that mimic the functions of the human digestive tract. They digest the prey for absorption by the plants.
Wet and Damp Habitats
The insectivorous plants are found mostly in wet, damp, humid, and acidic soil, that is deficient in nutrients, such as swamps, bogs, wetlands, coastal plains, etc. They are found in the wet regions of North America, Australia, and tropical regions.
Examples of insectivorous plants are :
Carnivorous or insectivorous plants live throughout the world. Few examples of insectivorous plants are mentioned below:
Pitcher Plant
They comprise of a hollow leaf with a lid, filled with liquid to digest the prey.
Venus Flytrap
These plants have a wide mouth lined with hair. These hair are sensitive structures. As soon as an organism touches this hair, the mouth snap shuts trapping the insect inside. Once the organism is digested, the leaves of this plant open up again to trap another prey.
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Answer:
An insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. Example - Pitcher plant
The leaves of pitcher plant is modified into a pitcher like structure. The tip of the leaf forms a lid to the pitcher. The insect trapped in the pitcher plant is directed down by the hair in the pitcher. There the insect is digested by the enzyme present in the juice inside the pitcher.