The researchers found that these water lilies went from catching insects to eating excrement and appeared to have made the right decision.
Scientists have discovered that some carnivorous water lily species (Nepenthes) have switched to a new diet – unfortunately, not very appetizing. Although previously these plants preferred to snack on all insects, they are now focused on eating animal excrement. Scientists believe this is an evolutionary step for plants.
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These water lilies have actually become a toilet bowl and can now meet their daily nutritional needs from animal feces. And that’s not all. Studies show that these excrement eaters manage to get more nitrogen from their new diet than any other non-Penthes animal.
The researchers discovered that although the new diet sadly looked unappetizing, it was vastly superior to the previous one. Moreover, according to Alastair Robinson, a botanist at the Royal Victorian Botanic Gardens in Australia, this evolutionary approach teaches us several important lessons about how plants can evolve and adapt. Robinson also believes that scientists need to learn more about how they evolved their diets to further protect Nepenthes and other species.
The researchers note that after noticing that several Nepenthes species had switched to a new diet, they examined their diet in more detail – it turned out that the nitrogen uptake in these plants was twice as high as in other Nepenthes. During the study, the team studied six 6 species and 4 hybrids of Nepenthes in Malaysian Borneo – during the study, the scientists examined their tissues to determine the amount of nitrogen and carbon captured from the outside.
The researchers believe the new lotus diet is due to the inevitable decline of insect populations at higher altitudes, thus forcing some plants to turn to alternative food sources. In this way, carnivorous plants have learned to obtain the necessary nutrients from the excrement of carnivorous animals.
By the way, it’s not the first time researchers have discovered the special diet of water lilies. In 2009, for example, scientists discovered that carnivorous plants form a coalition with mountain voles, accumulating nitrogen-rich feces in water lilies as they feed on carbohydrates at the tops of plants. Later, scientists discovered a similar mutually beneficial relationship between Nepenthes and peak rats, birds, and even bats.
Previously Focus He wrote that biologists discovered a plant that hunted underground.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.