image by Bioweb Venus Flytrap || Dionaea muscipula As one of the few carnivorous plants, the Venus flytrap is quite a curiosity. As seen in the image above, the insides of the two leaves have small hairs. These hairs serve as a trigger mechanism, in which if more than one hair is touched within twenty seconds, the hairs set off a reaction which results in the two leaves closing within a matter of seconds, trapping the prey inside. Exactly how this mechanism works is still debatable, but potential theories have been floated, such as the rapid movement of H+ ions, allowing cells to swell through osmosis, with the changing turgidity moving the leaves. The digestion of the prey takes about ten days and is achieved through the use of digestive enzymes that are secreted by the leaves.

image by Bioweb

Venus Flytrap || Dionaea muscipula

As one of the few carnivorous plants, the Venus flytrap is quite a curiosity. As seen in the image above, the insides of the two leaves have small hairs. These hairs serve as a trigger mechanism, in which if more than one hair is touched within twenty seconds, the hairs set off a reaction which results in the two leaves closing within a matter of seconds, trapping the prey inside. Exactly how this mechanism works is still debatable, but potential theories have been floated, such as the rapid movement of H+ ions, allowing cells to swell through osmosis, with the changing turgidity moving the leaves.

The digestion of the prey takes about ten days and is achieved through the use of digestive enzymes that are secreted by the leaves.