Pitcher plants from the Nepenthes family have evolved to survive in soil that is scarce in minerals or very acidic. Instead of synthesising glucose in order to survive, these plants attain energy from the insect prey. Interestingly, this is one of the few cases in which a plant is not at the bottom of the food chain as a producer.
The pitcher plant has many adaptation which enable it to attract and digest prey.
Bright anthocyanin pigments and nectar attract insects to the plant. These insects are likely to settle on the rim (peristome), which is slippery with nectar, and fall into the trap. Some pitcher plants contain waxy scales, downward pointing hairs, or even aldehyde crystals to prevent insects from climbing out.
The small body of pitcher fluid (known as a phytotelma) drown the insect and gradually dissolve it through numerous ways:
- Bacterial action in which bacteria that has been washed into the plant via rainfall dissolves the insect)
- Enzyme action
- Some pitcher plants contain enzymes that can break down gluten- creating the possibility of finding a cure to coeliac disease
- Mutualistic insect larvae – by far the most fascinating method of digestion in which the plant protects insect larvae which feed on the prey and excrete substances that the plant then uses
Curiosity Killed The Cation 