Curious About Carnivorous Plants

In episode 176, we get curious about carnivorous plants for Elliot of Geneva, Illinois.  Why do some plants eat animals?  How are they able to catch their prey?  Can carnivorous plants hurt humans?  We learn lots about these super-interesting plants with the help of special guests Rachel and Leslie.

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Transcript

PODCAST 176: CURIOUS ABOUT CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 13TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  I LOVE EATING PLANTS.  I EAT THE ROOTS OF PLANTS WHEN I EAT CARROTS.  I EAT THE STEMS OF PLANTS WHEN I ENJOY ASPARAGUS.  I PUT THE LEAVES OF PLANTS IN MY SALAD WHEN I CHOW DOWN ON LETTUCE.  WHEN I BITE INTO AN EAR OF CORN, I’M EATING THE SEEDS OF A PLANT.  I ALSO EAT THE FLOWERS OF PLANTS, THAT’S RIGHT, THE FLOWERS… WHEN I CHEW INTO BROCCOLI.  FINALLY, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE EATING THE FRUIT OF PLANTS WHEN I EAT YUMMY FRUITS LIKE TOMATOES - YES, TOMATOES ARE TECHNICALLY FRUITS.  HUMANS, LIKE MANY OTHER ANIMALS, ENJOY EATING PLANTS, BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PLANTS BITE BACK?

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“HI!  WE ARE NEW LISTENERS AND HAVE BEEN ENJOYING CATCHING UP ON YOUR PAST PODCASTS.  MY NAME IS ELLIOT AND I AM FOUR AND A HALF YEARS OLD AND I LIVE IN GENEVA, ILLINOIS AND I AM CURIOUS ABOUT CARNIVOROUS PLANTS!  JUST LIKE OLIVIA I LOVE TORNADOES AND HURRICANES.  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.  THANKS FOR DOING WHAT YOU DO!

LOVE,

ELLIOT”

O:  THANKS FOR THE E-MAIL, ELLIOT.  WE LOVE YOU BACK.  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT CARNIVOROUS PLANTS FOR YOU THIS WEEK.

D:  SO, AT THIS POINT YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING WHY WE’RE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT PLANTS AGAIN.  DIDN’T WE ALREADY GET CURIOUS ABOUT PLANTS BACK IN EPISODE 157?

O:  IN THAT EPISODE WE TALKED ABOUT MOST PLANTS, WHICH GET THEIR FOOD FROM A FUN PROCESS CALLED PHOTOSYNTHESIS.  IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS, PLANTS TURN SUNLIGHT INTO FOOD.  HOW AWESOME IS THAT?

D:  THAT’S TOTALLY AMAZING.  NATURE REALLY IS INCREDIBLE.  THIS WEEK, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PLANTS, BUT THE PLANTS WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT THIS WEEK GET MOST OF THEIR NUTRITION FROM A SOURCE VERY DIFFERENT THAN SUNLIGHT. 

O:  THIS WEEK, WE ARE LEARNING ABOUT PLANTS THAT EAT ANIMALS.  

D:  DON’T BE ALARMED.  MOST OF THE ANIMALS THAT TURN INTO FOOD FOR CARNIVOROUS PLANTS ARE VERY SMALL.  ALMOST ALL OF THEM ARE BUGS.  IT’S NOT LIKE THERE ARE GIRAFFES THAT ARE BEING SWALLOWED BY PLANTS.  THERE ARE LOTS OF PLANTS OUT THERE, ABOUT 600 DIFFERENT SPECIES, THAT ARE CARNIVOROUS, MEANING THAT THEY EAT MEAT.  LET’S LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM.  OLIVIA, WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  VENUS FLYTRAPS ARE THE MOST WELL KNOWN CARNIVOROUS PLANT.  DID YOU KNOW THAT THEY ONLY NATURALLY GROW IN ONE AREA IN THE ENTIRE WORLD?  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, IN WHICH TWO STATES DO VENUS FLYTRAPS NATURALLY GROW?

D:  THAT’S AN INTERESTING QUESTION, AND WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE SPECIAL GUESTS ON THE PODCAST THIS WEEK, AND THEY ARE GOING TO GIVE US THE ANSWER IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.  STICK AROUND TO HEAR OLIVIA INTERVIEW RACHEL AND LESLIE AT THE END OF THE EPISODE.

O:  THERE IS ONE THING I’VE BEEN WONDERING SINCE I KNEW THAT CARNIVOROUS PLANTS EXISTED.  WHY WOULD PLANTS NEED TO BE CARNIVOROUS IN THE FIRST PLACE IF THEY CAN JUST GET THEIR FOOD THROUGH PHOTOSYNTHESIS LIKE MOST OTHER PLANTS?

D:  GREAT QUESTION.  WELL, MANY CARNIVOROUS PLANTS ALSO USE PHOTOSYNTHESIS FOR FOOD, BUT THEY RUN INTO A PROBLEM WHEN THEY DO.  CARNIVOROUS PLANTS ARE OFTEN FOUND IN PLACES WHERE THE SOIL DOESN’T HAVE ALL OF THE NECESSARY MINERALS AND NUTRIENTS THAT THEY NEED TO THRIVE.  THAT’S WHY THE PLANTS NEEDED TO EVOLVE BY FINDING A DIFFERENT WAY TO GET THE FOODS THEY NEED FOR PROPER NUTRITION. 

O:  HOW DO PLANTS CATCH THE ANIMALS THAT THEY EAT?

D:  ALL OF THE HUNDREDS OF CARNIVOROUS PLANTS USE ONE OF FIVE DIFFERENT WAYS TO CATCH THEIR PREY.  LET’S START WITH THE MOST WELL KNOWN TYPE OF CARNIVOROUS PLANT THAT USES SNAP TRAPS TO CATCH THEIR FOOD.

O:  SNAP TRAPS HAVE LEAVES THAT ARE SHAPED LIKE A MOUTH AND HAVE SPIKY HAIRS LINING THE EDGES OF THEIR LEAVES.  WHEN A BUG LANDS ON A LEAF, IT SNAPS SHUT, TRAPPING THE FOOD INSIDE.

D:  THAT’S PRETTY NEAT, BUT IT GETS EVEN BETTER.  SOMEHOW, SNAP TRAP PLANTS ARE ABLE TO TELL WHAT’S INSIDE THEIR LEAVES.  WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT?  WELL, LET’S SAY A BRANCH FALLS FROM ABOVE AND LANDS ON THE LEAF.  HOW DOES THE PLANT KNOW NOT TO SNAP DOWN ON THE BRANCH?  

O:  IT TURNS OUT THAT SNAP TRAPS LIKE THE VENUS FLYTRAP CAN COUNT.  MAYBE THEY DON’T SAY “ONE, TWO, THREE” LIKE A HUMAN WOULD, BUT THEY KEEP COUNT IN A WAY.

D:  SO, THE LEAVES ARE SHAPED LIKE A MOUTH, AND THE INSIDE OF THE LEAF HAS TINY HAIRS THAT SENSE MOVEMENT.  WHEN A BUG TOUCHES ONE OF THE TINY HAIRS, THE PLANT KNOWS IT.  THEN, WHEN ANOTHER HAIR IS TOUCHED, IT TRIGGERS THE TRAP TO CLOSE, TRAPPING THE BUG INSIDE.  AND, HERE’S WHERE IT GETS CRAZY.  EVEN AFTER THE BUG IS TRAPPED INSIDE, THE PLANT DOESN’T START TO EAT, OR DIGEST THE BUG.  IT’S NOT UNTIL FIVE HAIRS ARE TOUCHED THAT THE PLANT STARTS DIGESTION.  IN OTHER WORDS, IF THE BUG JUST STAYS STILL, EVEN AFTER BEING TRAPPED, THE LEAF WILL EVENTUALLY OPEN, FREEING THE BUG.  

O:  OF COURSE BUGS DON’T KNOW THAT, SO THEY STRUGGLE TO GET FREE.

D:  AND, WHEN THEY STRUGGLE, THEY TOUCH MORE OF THE HAIRS, WHICH TRIGGERS THE PLANT TO START DIGESTING.  THAT’S SUCH A FASCINATING PROCESS.  THERE ARE FOUR MORE SUPER INTERESTING TYPES OF CARNIVOROUS PLANTS TO LEARN ABOUT.  LET’S LEARN ABOUT PLANTS WITH PITFALL TRAPS NEXT.

O:  PLANTS WITH PITFALL TRAPS HAVE A FUNNEL SHAPE WITH SLIPPERY LEAVES.  WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT A BUG LANDS ON THE LEAF AND SLIPS DOWN UNTIL IT FALLS INTO A POOL OF LIQUID AT THE BOTTOM.  

D:  AND HERE’S TWO CRAZY THINGS ABOUT THESE PLANTS.  FIRST, MANY OF THEM HAVE HAIRS THAT LINE THE INSIDE OF THE LEAF, AND THE HAIRS POINT DOWNWARD, WHICH MAKES IT VERY TOUGH FOR A BUG, OR OTHER ANIMAL, TO ESCAPE ONCE IT FALLS IN.  ALSO, YOU MENTIONED A POOL OF LIQUID AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LEAF.  THAT POOL OF LIQUID IS ACTUALLY DIGESTIVE ENZYMES THAT STARTS DIGESTING THE BUG.  SO, JUST LIKE OUR STOMACHS HAVE JUICES INSIDE THAT HELP US BREAK DOWN FOOD, THE SAME GOES FOR PLANTS WITH PITFALL TRAPS.  NEXT, LET’S LEARN ABOUT REALLY STICKY CARNIVOROUS PLANTS THAT USE FLYPAPER TRAPS TO CATCH THEIR PREY.  

O:  PLANTS WITH FLYPAPER TRAPS HAVE A SPECIAL STICKY GLUE ON THEIR LEAVES.  WHEN A BUG LANDS ON ONE OF THE STICKY LEAVES, IT GETS STUCK AND CAN’T ESCAPE.  THE PLANT THEN RELEASES DIGESTIVE ENZYMES TO START DIGESTING THE YUMMY BUG.

D:  WOAH, IT’S INCREDIBLE THAT CARNIVOROUS PLANTS HAVE FOUND SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET THE CRITICAL NUTRIENTS THEY NEED FOR SURVIVAL.  JUST TWO MORE WAYS THAT CARNIVOROUS PLANTS TRAP THEIR PREY.  NEXT UP ARE PLANTS THAT USE LOBSTER TRAPS. 

O:  LOBSTER TRAPS ARE A BIT LIKE PITFALL TRAPS.  BUGS ENTER THE LEAF INTO A LARGER CHAMBER, USUALLY IN SEARCH FOR FOOD.  ONCE IN THE CHAMBER, THEY CAN’T ESCAPE.

D:  AND THAT’S BECAUSE THERE ARE BRISTLES THAT LINE THE LEAF THAT MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO ESCAPE ONCE INSIDE.  THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PITFALL TRAPS AND LOBSTER TRAPS IS THIS:  WITH PITFALL TRAPS, THE LEAVES ARE SLIPPERY, SO THE BUG ESSENTIALLY FALLS INTO THE DIGESTIVE ENZYMES.  WITH LOBSTER TRAPS, THE BUG DECIDES TO CLIMB INTO THE LEAF IN SEARCH FOR FOOD BECAUSE THERE IS A BIG CHAMBER AT THE BOTTOM.  EITHER WAY, ONCE THEY’VE FOUND THEIR WAY IN, IT’S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OUT.  

O:  LAST BUT NOT LEAST MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE OF THE CARNIVOROUS PLANT TRAPS.  THEY ARE CALLED BLADDER-LIKE TRAPS.  THESE PLANTS LIVE UNDERWATER AND ARE USUALLY BEAUTIFUL.  THEY HAVE BLADDERS LINED WITH HAIR.  WHEN THE PREY GETS CLOSE TO CHECK OUT THE BEAUTIFUL PLANT, IT TOUCHES THE HAIR, AND THEN THE BLADDER SUCKS THE PREY INTO IT LIKE A VACUUM.

D:  ISN’T THAT CRAZY?  AND HERE’S ANOTHER RIDICULOUS FACT.  THE BLADDERS SUCK THE PREY IN SO QUICKLY THAT IT’S HARD TO SEE THE PROCESS HAPPEN.  SCIENTISTS ACTUALLY NEED TO USE HIGH SPEED CAMERAS TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT THAT THE PREY GETS SUCKED IN.  THAT’S AMAZING.

NOW THAT WE’VE LEARNED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT CARNIVOROUS PLANTS CATCH THEIR FOOD, WE WANT TO WELCOME TWO VERY SPECIAL GUESTS TO THE PODCAST.  THEIR NAMES ARE  RACHEL AND LESLIE, AND THEY TEACH SCIENCE EDUCATION AT APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY.  THEY KNOW A TON ABOUT CARNIVOROUS PLANTS, AND WE CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN MORE.  TAKE IT AWAY OLIVIA.

O:  RACHEL AND LESLIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING GUESTS ON THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  A BIG QUESTION I HAVE, AND I BET A LOT OF OUR LISTENERS ALSO WANT TO KNOW, CAN CARNIVOROUS PLANTS HARM HUMANS?  

R:  ———————————————————————————————.

O:  OF ALL OF THE WAYS THAT CARNIVOROUS PLANTS CATCH THEIR PREY, WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY?

R:  ———————————————————————————————.

O:  AND THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, IN WHICH TWO STATES DO VENUS FLYTRAPS NATURALLY GROW?

R:  ——————————————————————————————.

D:  WOW, THAT WAS FANTASTIC.  A BIG THANKS TO RACHEL AND LESLIE FOR ANSWERING A FEW QUESTIONS FOR US SO WE CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT FASCINATING AND REMARKABLE CARNIVOROUS PLANTS.  THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  176 - CARNIVOROUS PLANTS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB ELLIOT FOR THE TOPIC SUGGESTION THAT SATISFIED ALL OF OUR CRAVINGS.  BEFORE WE WRAP THIS UP, WE HAVE A TRIO OF LISTENERS WE WANT TO THANK.

O:  WE WANT TO THANK OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, AAHIL, MAAZ, AND SOHA C.

D:  A BIG THANKS TO AAHIL, MAAZ, AND SOHA FOR HELPING TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST.  YOUR SUPPORT MEANS THE WORLD TO US.  MAAZ RECENTLY CELEBRATED HIS 7TH BIRTHDAY AND HE HAD A CURIOUS KID PODCAST THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY.  HIS MOM WAS NICE ENOUGH TO SEND US SOME PICTURES FROM THE PARTY, AND IT LOOKED LIKE SO MUCH FUN.  THE CAKE LOOKED REALLY YUMMY TOO.  WE POSTED THE PICTURES ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM IF YOU WANT TO SEE FOR YOURSELF.  NEXT WEEK, WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT HURRICANES FOR LISTENERS IN NEW MEXICO AND HONG KONG.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.