This Species of Carnivorous Plant Evolved Into a Toilet And Is Now Winning at Life

[marmar]

This Species of Carnivorous Plant Evolved Into a Toilet And Is Now Winning at Life
NATURE

25 January 2023
ByDAVID NIELD




Some species of carnivorous pitcher plant, Nepenthes, have switched from capturing and digesting insects to absorbing animal poop for their daily dose of nutrients – and it's a switch that's proving very beneficial.

These botanical poop eaters are managing to take in more nitrogen through their diet adaptation than other Nepenthes that snack on prey, scientists found. The difference is a considerable one, even though the new food regime doesn't sound all that appetizing.

There are some important lessons here in terms of how plants can adapt and evolve to cope with challenges in their surroundings: by understanding more about the way in which the Nepenthes have improved their nutrient intake, we can better protect them.

"A handful of Nepenthes species have evolved away from carnivory towards a diet of animal scats," says Alastair Robinson, a botanist from the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Australia.

"We found that nitrogen capture is more than two times greater in species that capture mammal droppings than in other Nepenthes." ............(more)

https://www.sciencealert.com/this-species-of-carnivorous-plant-evolved-into-a-toilet-and-is-now-winning-at-life

[Ocelot II]

1. Some clever plumbing designer should create toilets that look like these plants.

[SergeStorms]

9. Must be male plants....

they didn't put the lid down. They'll catch hell from the lady plants in their lives. 😉

[Kennah]

10. How long before we read about some guy putting his dick in there?

[lame54]

2. That's no way to live

[SergeStorms]

3. How do the plants....

get the animals to take a Trump inside them?
Do they ask nicely? 🤔

[Xavier Breath]

4. They set out a roll of TP

and a few National Geographics and let nature take it's course.

[crickets]

6. *snerk*

[SergeStorms]

8. Yeah, that's what I thought.

😂 👍

[boston bean]

5. Do they really have a choice as to whether an animal poops on them?

They don’t go out looking for it, do they?

[DBoon]

7. are the plants a unisex toilet?

Do they let both males and females poop in them?

Does Ted Cruz know about this? DeSantis? This is even more scandalous than two male penguins raising a baby penguin.

[roamer65]

11. Eat s#*t and die?

I guess not.

[Trailrider1951]

12. LOL! More like eat s##t and thrive.

[DET]

13. Disgusting...

But absolutely beautiful at the same time. Those plants look like hand blown glass.