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Post by linsis on May 1, 2010 18:17:20 GMT
I am a gr 3 Science teacher and had an intriguing question from a student. If a poisonous insect or frog is ingested by a Venus fly trap or any CP, will it harm or kill the plant? I looked it up on the Internet but have not found an answer. Thank you for any help or web links you can provide to answer this question.
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Post by marcel on May 1, 2010 18:45:56 GMT
Hi, I don't have the exact science for you (maybe some else?), but basically poisons are developed as a defense against predators. For all species of poisonous insects and frogs (like dart frogs) that I know that means a toxin (or cocktail of poisons) that will act on birds, mammals, reptiles or fish. Since carnivorous plants are not a main treat to most animals it is highly unlikely that an animal would evolve to have a herbicide. I have never heard of any in the 25 years I'm in this hobby. I work professionally with pesticides and herbicides and the only damage I know from pesticides on plants is burning/wrong dosage, so basically salt dammage.
Besides, for say an insect, it would be a much better option to have strong jaws to chew itself out of the trap.
Better answers anyone?
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Post by Aidan on May 1, 2010 18:54:30 GMT
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Post by marcel on May 1, 2010 20:00:35 GMT
Thanks Aidan, I missed the post then.
It is of course not uncommon for animals to store the poison from their food (dart frogs loose their poison in captivity because they eat different food and sawflies larvae are even know for that fact with regards to poisons from conifers), but the toxins of Solomon's seal are not herbicides. They work on the nerve- and digestive system.
So I can understand the assassin bugs and maybe the flytrap, but anyone ever tried them in say a sarracenia or on a sundew? Dunk said he was going to fish the sawflies out of the purpurea. Did that work?
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Post by Aidan on May 17, 2010 12:21:00 GMT
...the toxins of Solomon's seal are not herbicides. Further information has been posted to the above linked thread. Two admittedly unintentional (and hardly scientifically rigorous) experiments indicate that prey items carrying toxins may damage and/or kill plants - in this case Dionaea, Heliamphora and Sarracenia.I suggest that in the case of these sawfly larvae, it's not too surprising. The larvae concentrate toxins from their food plants and the carnivorous plants concerned do not have the necessary biological pathways required to handle those toxins. |
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