Carnivorous Plants Essay -- essays research papers

Carnivorous Plants     In a world where plants are at the bottom of the food-chain, someindividual plant species have evolved ways to reverse the order we expect tofind in nature. These dirt ballivorous plants, as they are sometimes called, arethe predators , rather than the passive prey. Adaptions such as odiferous luresand trapping mechanisms have made it possible for these photosynthesizers tocapture, chemically break-down and digest insect prey (and in some cases evensmall animals.) There is no reason to fear them though. The majority areherbaceous perennials, usually whole 4 to 6 inches richly, and nothing like theplant in " dinky Shop of Horrors".     Almost all carnivorous plants have a essentially similar ecology andseveral different species are often set growing almost side by side. They aremost presumable to be found in swamps, bogs, damp heaths and muddy or flaxen shores.Drosophyllum lusitanicum from Portugal and Mo rocco is the one exception, itgrows on dry gravelly hills. Like different green plants, carnivorous plantscontain the organic pigment chlorophyll. This pigment helps to liaise achemical process called photosynthesis. This converts light energy into thechemical fastening energy of carbohydrate which is utilized as cellular energy, plant growth and development. Water, carbon dioxide, nutrients and minerals are alsoneeded for survival. In wetlands, where stagnate pee contains acidiccompounds and chemicals from decaying organic matter many plants have a tough time obtaining necessary nutrients. It is in these nutrient poorconditions that some plants evolved different ways of obtaining nutrients. Theability of carnivorous plants to digest nitrogen -rich animal protein enablesthese plants to function in somewhat hostile environments.     The evolution of carnivorous plants is speculative collectable to the paucity ofthe fossil record. It is believed that plant ca rnivory may have evolved millionsof years past from plants whose leaves formed depressions that retained rain water supply. Small insects would sometimes fall into these water reservoirs and drown,eventually being decomposed by bacteria in the water. The nutrients from theinsects would be listless by the leaf. The deeper the leaf depression the moreinsects that could be drowned. This would have creat... ... as frogs and small rodents. genus Nepenthes are unique amongst carnivorousplants as the except dioecious genus, which means there are separate male andfemale person plants. These plants are very endangered and several species or extinct.Some species of Nepenthes are sold for hundreds of dollars to collectors and areinvolved in illegal oversea trade.     The growing of carnivorous plants has become very popular in newyears. Unfortunately the endangered status of many species does not stopcollectors from risking high fines and field collecting them. This ha s hadseriously impact on many species, plainly collectors are not the biggest problemfacing carnivorous plants. In the ground forces and other developed countries wetlandsare considered useless and are being numb(p) and developed on. At present it isestimated that only 3-5% of carnivorous plant home ground remain in the US. Anotherproblem is that fires are put forbidden before they spread even though many plants,such as the Venus fly trap, benefit from periodic burns. Habitat destructionfrom crush and burn agriculture, however, does not benefit any of thecarnivorous plants and is also causing a great deal of the extinctions.