Meat-Eating Plant Traps Victims Underground

In Brazil, plant ecologist Rafael Oliviera has recently discovered that the plant "Philcoxia" grows its leaves buried underground in order to absorb and eat small worms. The "Philcoxia" grows in Brazil's central highlands at the savanna, where paths of white sand cover wide areas. This plant is a purple flowered genus that lives in nutrient poor soil and it's underground leaves are still able to do photosynthesis even though covered in soil. What's ingenious about this plant is that it only has one tap root for taking in water. Researchers questioned how it got raw material from the soil. The researchers found using an electron microscope, that sitting at the leaves were multiple nematodes, small round worms. In order to figure out their purpose they grew bacteria in a culture that had an isotope of nitrogen. They then gave this to the nematodes and placed them on the leaves. The next day it was found that the plant had rated the worms and consumed a big part of it's diet.

This is hypothesis-based science because an experiment was done in order to find out what the nematodes were doing there. This type of plant, helps us understand better how even in poor soils these plants look for ways to preserve their food chain. It may even question if in terms of survival animal and plants may come up with methods that make the barrier between plant and animal kingdom undefined.

Author: Sara Reardon

Title of Article: Meat-Eating Plant Traps Victims Underground

Journal: Science AAAS

Date: January 9, 2012