Scientists reveal mechanism behind Venus flytrap’s rapid snap
7 reported
Scientists have identified the mechanism that allows the Venus flytrap to snap shut within a second of an insect landing on its leaf, resolving a puzzle that stumped Charles Darwin. The research, published in the journal Science, found that a hair-trigger detection causes cells on the outer surface of the leaf to soften, prompting the trap to flip closed. The study was led by Dr Yoël Forterre, a physicist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille University. Forterre noted that Darwin believed the plant had a muscle, but plants lack muscles and nerves. The team used a device called a nanoindenter to measure the leaf’s pressure, showing the outer surface softened immediately after activation. Measurements indicated the softening was due to cells becoming more flexible, not from water movement as previously hypothesized. Forterre said he is not aware of any other plant with such rapid changes in cell mechanical properties.
What’s reported
The Venus flytrap can close within a second of a bug landing on its leaf.
The mechanism involves cells on the outer surface of the leaf softening after a hair-trigger detection.
Dr Yoël Forterre is a physicist at CNRS and Aix-Marseille University and senior author of the research.
The team used a nanoindenter to poke the leaf’s outer surface and measure its pressure.
The leaf’s outer surface softened immediately after the trap was activated.
The softening was due to cells becoming more flexible, not from water movement within the leaf.
The findings are published in the journal Science.
Key figures
Dr Yoël Forterre, physicist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille University, senior author of the research.
Sources: The Guardian
