So, Let's begin!
CUSCUTA (Dodder/Amarbel)
Cuscuta is an example of such type of plants which does not contain chlorophyll.
- Like humans and animals it depends on the food produced by other plants.
- It use the heterotrophic mode of nutrition.
- Cuscuta(Dodder/Amarbel) is a leafless and thread-like plant that climbs on other plants.
- It takes ready made food from the plant on which it climbs.
- The plant on which it climbs is called a host.
- In the given picture below the Flower bearing plant is called a host.
- Since it completely dependent on the host for valuable nutrients, it is called a parasite.
Their is some plants which contain chlorophyll and carry out photosynthesis to obtain a part of the food required by them . But they also use to eat insects even small frogs also. Yes it is true they use to eat insects.
So, let's know more about This!
INSECTIVOROUS PLANTS
Have you seen or heard of plants that can eat animals? There are a few plants which can trap insects and digest them. They get nutrients from trapping and eating animals. Such insect-eating plants are called insectivorous plants. Such plants may be green or of some other colour. Some examples are
Pitcher Plant
Dewy Pine
Sundew
Venus Flytrap
If we talk about venus flytrap their is a leaf which contains teeth like strong hairs. If an unwary insect walks across these hairs, touching two or more of them in succession, the leaf will close quickly. Insects are unable to escape between the hair-like teeth the helpless insect is slowly digested and absorbed by the leaf. Glands on the leaf surface secrete several digestive enzymes that help to decompose the insect. Once the insect has been digested sufficiently, the leaf re-opens for another victim.
The structure and the way of trapping and eating insects of all the insectivorous plants are different.
But question is Why they use to trap and eat insects?
Answer:
Insectivorous plants are usually found in areas of poor soil or poor in nutrients, specifically swampy habitats with low nitrogen availability. Some of these plants are green and carry out photosynthesis to obtain a part of the food required by them. But they do not get the nitrogen from the soil in which they grow. So, insectivorous plants feed on insects to obtain the nitrogen needed for their growth.LAST WORDS
We learnt that-
- Cuscuta (Dodder/Amarbel) is a plant Without chlorophyll They cannot synthesis their food.
- It takes ready made food from the plants (host).
- Some plants use to trap and eat insects.
- Such insect-eating plants are called insectivorous plants.
- Some of these plants are green and carry out photosynthesis
- But they do not get the nitrogen from the soil.
- Hence, they use to eat small insects.
Have you hear some organism which cannot be called animal and also not plant. How do they get their food? What do they use to eat? CLICK TO KNOW MORE
