Researchers reveal how an insect-eating plant uses rain energy to power its traps RSocPublishing
, reveal for the first time how the lethal spring works.
The team were surprised to find that rather than bending in the lid itself or in the narrow constriction between pitcher cup and lid, the spring is located far down in the back of the tubular pitcher wall. The off-center location at the rear of the tube has two effects.First, it makes the spring direction-dependent, and as a result, the lid moves easily down, but not up.
Second, the off-center spring prevents the lid from twisting or wobbling, thereby maximizing the transmission of impact energy into downward movement.Lead author Anne-Kristin Lenz of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences explained,"If you look at the pitcher shape you would assume that the deformation happens at the smallest cross section, which is the transition point from lid to pitcher tube, but in fact it also deforms further down at the back of the pitcher tube.
"Pitcher plant traps are lightweight, but sturdy. Nepenthes gracilis uses small changes in the trap shape to transmit
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