\u201cAre there any other plants that eat flesh,\u00a0besides the pitcher plant?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cDo flesh-eating plants have teeth? How do they bite and trap insects to feed on?”<\/strong><\/p>\n These questions never fail to amuse me and the mere thought of a giant pitcher stomping across the field chomping down on all of the organisms in its path will always cause me to laugh. Perhaps, their impression of such plants stems from the game \u2013 \u201cPlants VS Zombies\u201d!<\/p>\n Before I answer these questions, I’d like to address some of the key objectives of this article. As the title of this article suggests, I will be highlighting the following:<\/p>\n What I have noticed is that students are commonly tested on their ability to identify if an adaptation is structural or behavioural. They are also required to figure out the underlying reason behind such an adaptation.<\/p>\n\n Organisms acquire adaptations in order to survive better in their habitat. There are two types of adaptations in the PSLE Science syllabus:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s compare using some examples:<\/p>\n Now that we have determined the difference between structural and behavioural adaptations, let\u2019s take a look at the special characteristics of a pitcher plant and how they help the plant survive!<\/p>\n Pitcher plants may seem to be like couch potatoes \u2013 passively waiting for unfortunate victims to fall into them. However,\u00a0they are actually skilled killers!<\/p>\n Similar to other plants with green leaves, pitcher plants possess chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll to trap sunlight for photosynthesis to make food. The function of chloroplasts should already be at your fingertips!<\/p>\n These are modified leaves that give the pitcher plants their infamous name \u2013 to trap ill-fated insects using their relentless adaptations:<\/p>\n Are you able to identify if the above pitcher plant adaptations are structural or behavioural? This should be easy!<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s discuss a question that tests pitcher plants adaptations.<\/p>\n Source: Nan Hua Primary School \u2013 2017 P6 SA2 Science Examination Paper [Q30]<\/em><\/p>\n Other than having digestive liquid, what other structural adaptations does the pitcher plant have?<\/p>\n Nectar<\/em> is produced at the edge of the pitcher.<\/p>\n What is nectar used for?<\/p>\n In flowering plants, nectar is used as a \u201cbribe\u201d to attract insects so that pollen grains will be stuck onto insects\u2019 bodies for pollination to take place.<\/p>\n Similar to flowering plants, pitcher plants use nectar as a \u201cbribe\u201d to attract insects but for a different purpose – to consume it!<\/p>\n Smooth and slippery<\/em> inner<\/em> surface of the pitcher.<\/p>\n A smooth and slippery surface means that there is very little friction between the inner surface of the pitcher and the insect\u2019s legs. Imagine yourself walking along a wet and slippery aisle compared to a dry and rough one, which is easier for you to slip and fall? It would definitely be the wet and slippery aisle!<\/p>\n This is the reason why it is difficult for the unfortunate victims to grip onto the inner surface, resulting in them sliding down the \u201cdeath pool\u201d of digestive liquid.<\/p>\n Pitcher plants, like any other carnivorous plants, thrive in bog. It is a wetland that accumulates peat, a deposit of decayed plant material. Bog is acidic and has low nutrient levels.<\/p>\n Digestive liquid, nectar, and smooth and slippery inner surface also describe the three adaptations that pitcher plants have developed to survive in bog environments. Pitcher plants make up for the lack of soil nutrients by absorbing nutrients from their prey.<\/p>\n It takes roughly a week to two months for an insect to be fully digested in the pitcher. Based on this fact, would you want to place your finger in the pitcher for at least a week just to test if it can digest your finger? I\u2019m sure you wouldn\u2019t!<\/p>\n \u26a0\ufe0f<\/span>\u00a0Beware!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n However, if you place a piece of your skin inside the pitcher, it can actually be digested!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Yes, there are plenty! Some examples include the Venus flytrap <\/em><\/strong>and Sundew. <\/strong><\/em>How do these carnivorous plants trap their prey?<\/p>\n The Venus flytrap\u2019s \u201cjaw-like\u201d leaves <\/em>work similarly to that of an alligator, which clamps down on their prey before digesting it.<\/p>\n But how would the Venus flytrap know whether the object that has landed on it is an insect or merely dirt that would not make a good meal?<\/p>\n This is where another adaptation comes into place \u2013 sensitive<\/em> trigger hairs<\/em> to detect whether the object is a prey or not! If the trigger hairs are touched more than once<\/em>, the object is most likely an insect! Otherwise, if they are touched just once<\/em>, the object is probably not food.<\/p>\n The Sundew\u2019s tentacles secrete sweet, sticky and glistening \u201cdewdrops\u201d to attract insects. Once the insect realises that it has been deceived by this beautiful yet dangerous plant and starts struggling, it is too late because the Sundew would have curled inwards around it for better grip and began digesting the insect.<\/p>\n Now, challenge yourself and fill in the blanks for the two types of adaptations of the Venus flytrap and Sundew!<\/p>\n Once you have mastered the key differences between structural and behavioural adaptations, identifying them should not be a problem! Let\u2019s see if you have gotten the answers correct!<\/p>\n No, flesh-eating plants do not have teeth. The closest that you can get to finding a plant with \u201cteeth\u201d is the Venus flytrap!<\/p>\n It has \u201cteeth-like\u201d spines on the leaves that act like jail bars to imprison the insect to prevent it from escaping after clamping it down. It will then start to digest its meal!<\/p>\n I hope that you have a better understanding of the key differences between structural and behavioural adaptations, as well as the adaptations of various flesh-eating plants, including the Pitcher plant, Venus flytrap, and Sundew! Additionally, I hope that I have cleared some common misconceptions that you have been facing regarding these flesh-eating plants!<\/p>\n Stay tuned for more articles!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” admin_label=”CCI” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ custom_margin=”0px||” custom_padding=”0px||” global_module=”239753″ saved_tabs=”all” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_divider color=”#898989″ admin_label=”Divider” _builder_version=”4.16″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/The-Pique-Lab-CCI-Science-Course-CTA.png” align=”center” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”CCI” _builder_version=”4.16″ z_index_tablet=”500″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”||||||||” text_text_color=”#333333″ text_font_size=”18px” text_orientation=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n If you like our methodology, we’ve some upcoming workshops:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”geomanist-medium||||||||” text_text_color=”#f44a4a” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”2em” text_orientation=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n P3 Complete Concept Integration\u2122 Science Course<\/strong><\/a> [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":241613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,6,3],"tags":[51],"post_folder":[],"modified_by":"Jaimie Aberia","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1115"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1115"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":244514,"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1115\/revisions\/244514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1115"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=1115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
What Your Child Needs To Know<\/h2>\n
\n
![\"Adaptations](\"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Adaptations-of-a-Pitcher-Plant-Structural-VS-Behavioural-Adaptations-Cold-Hot-Habitat.png\")
<\/p>\nSpecial Characteristics Of A Pitcher Plant<\/h2>\n
Two Leaf Types In Pitcher Plants <\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Read Also:<\/h3>\n
\n
Question<\/h2>\n
![\"Adaptations](\"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Adaptations-of-a-Pitcher-Plant-NHPS-2017-P6-SA2-Q30.jpg\")
<\/h2>\nThought Process<\/h2>\n
First Adaptation<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Let\u2019s Examine Why This Adaptation Is Acquired<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Second Adaptation<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Let\u2019s Examine Why This Adaptation Is Acquired<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Pitcher Plant Adaptations In Bog Environments<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Demystifying Common Misconceptions<\/h2>\n
\u201cWhat happens if I place my finger inside the pitcher? Will it be able to eat me? Will it digest my finger?\u201d<\/h3>\n
\n
\u201cAre there any other plants that eat flesh,\u00a0besides the pitcher plant?\u201d<\/h3>\n
![\"Adaptations](\"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Adaptations-of-a-Pitcher-Plant-Pitcher-Plant.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Adaptations](\"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Adaptations-of-a-Pitcher-Plant-Sundew.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Adaptations](\"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Adaptations-of-a-Pitcher-Plant-Venus-Flytrap-VS-Sundew.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Adaptations](\"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Adaptations-of-a-Pitcher-Plant-Venus-Flytrap-VS-Sundew-Comparison.png\")
<\/p>\n\u201cDo flesh-eating plants have teeth? How do they bite and trap insects to feed on?\u201d<\/h3>\n
![\"Adaptations](\"https:\/\/thepiquelab.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Adaptations-of-a-Pitcher-Plant-Pitcher-With-Insect.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
P4 Complete Concept Integration\u2122 Science Course<\/strong><\/a>
P5 Complete Concept Integration\u2122 Science Course<\/strong><\/a>
P6 Complete Concept Integration\u2122 Science Course<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n