Transport in Plants Question 28
28. The ability of the Venus fly trap to capture insects is due to:
(a) specialised “muscle-like” cells
(b) chemical stimulation by the prey
(c) a passive process requiring no special ability on the part of the plant
(d) rapid turgor pressure changes
Show Answer
Answer : d
Hints & Solutions
(d) Bending of tentacles in Venus fly trap or Drosera after coming in contact with an insect is thigmonastic or chemonastic movement of variation or turgor movement. The mechanism by which the trap snaps shut involves a complex interaction between elasticity, turgor and growth. In the open, untripped state, the lobes are convex, but in the closed state, the lobes are concave It is the rapid flipping of this bistable state that closes the trap, but the mechanism by which this occurs is still poorly understood. When the trigger hairs are stimulated, an action potential involving calcium ions is generated, which propagates across the lobes and stimulates cells in the lobes and in the midrib between them.
