Carnivorous Plants Introduction https www youtube comwatch vO

Carnivorous Plants

Introduction https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=O 7 e. QKSf 0 Lm. Y. What does the word ‘Carnivorous’ mean? Why do you think some plants are carnivorous? Can you think of any carnivorous plants? • Activity: "Carnivorous Plants: Believe It or Not!"

Carnivorous Plants Carnivorous plants are divided into 5 groups based on their trapping mechanisms: Snap Trap Suction Trap Pitfall Trap 1. Adhesive - Specialized tentacles secrete a sticky substance to trap and immobilize small creatures. Example: Sundews. 2. Pitfall - Attracting prey with nectar and colorful appearance, their slippery pitcher-shaped leaves cause pretty to fall into a pool of digestive enzymes. Example: Pitcher Plants. 3. Lobster Pot - They have an entrance prey can easily find from the outside, but the exit is difficult to find from the inside, leaving prey trapped. Example: Cobra Lily. 4. Suction - The Suction Trap quickly sucks in prey with a bladder acting as an internal vacuum. Example: Bladderworts. Adhesive Trap with mobile tentacles Lobster Pot trap 5. Snap - Snap traps utilize rapid leaf movements to close around Adhesive Trap with prey. Example: Venus Fly Trap. stationary tentacles

K-W-L Chart What do you already know and what do you wish to learn about the Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) and other carnivorous plants?

Fun Facts Nearly three-dozen species of carnivorous plants live in the North Carolina. The Fly Trap's common name derives from Venus, the Roman goddess of love, while the species name 'muscipula' is Latin for 'mousetrap'. Famous scientist Charles Darwin described it as "the most wonderful plant in the world". The Venus Fly Trap became the 'state carnivorous plant' of North Carolina in 2005.

Appearance The Venus Fly Trap is a small plant whose structure arises from a short, bulb-like stem that provides support for the plant. An individual Fly Trap typically produces four to seven leaves, consisting of a stalk and a "mouth" or "trap”. The edges and inside of the trap grow teeth-like hairs called cilia.

Habitat The Venus Fly Trap is found in nutrient-poor soils, such as in bogs, swamps, and wet savannas. The Venus Fly Trap is particularly adapted to these environments where many other plants could not grow. The Venus Fly Trap is native only to the coastal bogs of eastern North and South Carolina, within a 75 -mile radius of Wilmington, NC. This region constitutes a biodiversity hotspot, a region both biologically rich and severely threatened. Activity: Illustrate a subtropical boggy environment, showing carnivorous plants living among other plants and animals.

Food What is food for? Why do plants and animals need it? How do animals get food? What How is “food” for plants? do plants get food?

Photosynthesis "Sun's energy" = Light Chlorophyll = a pigment found only in green plants • Plants, unlike animals, can achieve the energy portion of their food requirement on their own through a process known as photosynthesis. • During photosynthesis, plants make food in their leaves, using energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water to sugars and oxygen. The sugar produced from photosynthesis is then converted to energy. • Photosynthesis is how plants eat! Activity: Photosynthesis Coloring Sheet

Nutrient Adaptation In addition to energy, plants need nutrients. Usually plants obtain nutrients from the soil through their root systems. However, since the Venus Fly Trap lives in nutrientpoor environments, it cannot get many nutrients from the soil, so over many generations the species adapted to eat insects as a way of getting its required nutrients and energy. Carnivorous traps allow the Fly Trap to supplement its diet with animal proteins. • Should a Venus Fly Trap be considered a producer or a consumer?

Winter Dormancy Adaptation Another adaptation present in the Venus Fly Trap is winter dormancy, which is used to rest and store energy for the growing season. The Venus Fly Trap prefers warm weather, and is most active during summer months when there is plentiful light and insects to eat. In winter, when both prey and sunlight are scarce, the Fly Trap will become dormant to save energy. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=a 72 Hkr. XAp 2 g.

Fire Adaptation Venus Fly Traps are uniquely adapted to the frequent fires of the Longleaf Pine forest ecosystem, as burning removes the Fly Trap’s competition. Though it also kills the Fly Traps, the plant has a unique adaptation in which it can reproduce more quickly than its competitors. This adaptation is advantageous because it gives the Venus Fly Trap a head start in growth immediately after the fire.

Food What do you think a Venus Fly Trap's diet consists of? • A 'mouth' of the Venus Fly Trap is colorful, with nectar glistening on the surface, so it is very attractive to insects. • In addition to hairs lining the outside of the trap, the inside has small, sensitive hairs on its surface. When two hairs are triggered within 30 seconds of each other, the plant immediately closes its trap. • If the prey is too small or too big, it may be able to escape due to holes in the meshwork, but otherwise the trap will soon seal shut. • After a struggling insect hits at least five hairs, the plant begins to release digestive enzymes that finish off the insect and absorb all of the nutrients from it. • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Xji. Rh 2 dm. Pg. M

• Activity: ”Make Your Own Flytrap”

Advanced Discussion Questions --- Why do you think the plant requires multiple hairs to be triggered in order to close? --- Can a fly trap count? Does it have a memory? --- Why do you think the flytrap lets small prey escape through the holes in its meshwork?

Interesting Facts: • In temperatures of over 36˚C (96. 8˚ ) only one trigger is required to close a trap. • A trap closes about twice as fast at 20˚C (68˚F) compared to 36˚C (96. 8˚F). • A trap closes automatically in an acidic environment with p. H less than 4. 5. • A fly trap can close in as little as one-tenth of a second, but this can vary due to environmental conditions. • Each "mouth" can only snap shut four or five times before it dies.

Reproduction Why are flowers so beautiful? Some plants reproduce asexually (by spreading underground rhizomes), but most undergo sexual reproduction through pollination. Pollination can be defined as the transfer of pollen from the stamen (male reproductive structure of a flower) to the pistil (female reproductive structure), after which the egg is fertilized and will later develop into a seed and eventually a new plant. Sexual reproduction allows some of the genetic information from each parent to mix, producing offspring that resemble the parents but are not identical to them (as is the case in asexual reproduction). It takes the Venus Fly Trap 6 years to reach maturity, when it will finally be able to catch insects, create a flower, and reproduce.

Pollination Because plants cannot move, they are dependent on animals to complete this process of pollination. These animals, known as ‘pollinators’, transfer pollen between different plants of the same species, subsequently completing the process of sexual reproduction. To attract pollinators, plants have adapted to produce flowers with alluring colors, enticing scents, and tasty nectar. This nectar, in addition to pollen itself, serve as a source of food and energy to pollinators. Most carnivorous plants hold their flowers far above the leaves with a long stem, which ensures pollinators don’t get stuck in their traps. Fun Fact: If you pinch the flowers off of a Venus Fly Trap, the leaves will grow more vigorously. This is because growing flowers (and reproduction in general) takes a lot of energy from the plant. Activity: “Pollinator Picnic”

Activity Choice: Write about a flower from the perspective of a pollinator OR Write about attracting pollinators from the perspective of a Venus Fly Trap flower Potential topics, but be sure to include more descriptive details! • What is it like to walk on the different parts of the flower? • How does the pollen feel when it sticks to your legs? ------ • How, with your flower, do you attract pollinators? (Color? Scent? Shape? ) • How does your nectar taste?

Conservation Status • In a large group discussion exercise, brainstorm potential threats to the survival of the Venus Fly Trap The Venus Fly Trap’s conservation status is classified as ‘vulnerable’ by the National Wildlife Federation, mainly due to human development, poaching, and fire suppression. Destruction of the natural environment (development, pollution, etc. ) plays a key role in destroying Fly Trap habitats. Fire suppression also threatens the Fly Trap's future in the wild. People have tried to prevent forest fires for centuries but, as covered earlier, this is deadly for the Venus Fly Trap. Poachers pose some of the more serious threats to survival of the Venus Fly Traps. People want to have their own Fly Trap as a household plant; however, as they are expensive, poachers often steal them from their natural habitat to make money. In 2015 North Carolina changed the laws that affect digging up Venus Fly Traps in the wild. Prior to then, poaching Fly Traps was a misdemeanor, but now it is a felony with much stricter consequences.

Conservation Efforts Activity: ”Developers vs. Conservationists” Activity: In groups, create a plan to protect wild Venus Fly Traps. Examples of larger-scale conservation efforts include conservation organizations such as ours, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. The NCCLT's mission is to enrich the coastal communities of our state through conservation of natural areas and working landscapes, education, and the promotion of responsible land stewardship.

Evaluation Activity: Vocabulary Matching Worksheet Activity: Use Vocabulary Words in a Sentence Activity: Quiz