User:Houchens.9/sandbox

Evolutionary Question: Why is the Venus Fly Trap’s trap mechanism the way that it is and how does it aid in its survival?

Sources: 1) Schulze, W.; Schulze, E.D.; Schulze, I.; Oren, R. “Quantification of insect nitrogen utilization by the venus fly trap Dionaea muscipula catching prey with highly variable isotope signatures.” Journal of Experimental Botany. Published 5, Dec. 2000. Accessed 14, Sept. 2014. http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/content/52/358/1041.full.pdf+html

This article was written to document the study of how the capture of insects is significant for its own growth both before a fire and after (which is when its growth is at a maximum because the competition is suppressed. This article will help me gain a greater understanding of why the trap mechanism and the consumption of insects is vital to its survival.

2) Ellison, A.M. and Gotelli, N.J. “Energetics and the evolution of carnivorous plants-Darwin’s ‘Most wonderful plants in the world.’” Journal of Experimental Botany. Published 16, June 2008. Accessed 14, Sept. 2014. http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/content/60/1/19.full.pdf+html

This article investigated two hypotheses about the evolution and diversification of carnivorous plants, those being the “energetics hypothesis’ and the “predictable prey capture” hypothesis. This article will help give a greater understanding of how carnivorous plants evolved and diversified itself from other non-carnivorous plants and how that benefitted them and aided in their survival.

3) Gibson, T.C. and Waller, D.M. “Evolving Darwin’s ‘most wonderful’ plant: ecological steps to a snap-trap.” New Phytologist. Published 1, July 2009. Accessed 14, Sept. 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02935.x/full

This article talks about why venus fly traps has a snap trap mechanism instead of a sticky trap mechanism. This will aid me in understanding what the possible mechanisms of carnivorous plants are as well as exactly why it was important and vital for their survival that venus fly traps develop the snap trap mechanism.

4) Jurgens, A.; El-Sayed, A.M.; and Suckling, D.M. “Do carnivorous plants use volatiles for attracting prey insects?” Functional Ecology. Published 18, Sept 2009. Accessed 14, Sept. 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01626.x/full

This article talks about the mechanism by which a venus fly trap lures its prey into its trap in order to gain the necessary nutrients that it requires. This will help me gain a greater understanding of the evolutionary traits that were required for the success of this organism in obtaining its prey and therefore what it needs to survive.

5) Forterre, Y.; Skotheim, J.M.; Dumais, J.; and Mahadevan, L. “How the venus flytrap snaps.” Letters to Nature. Published 12, Nov. 2004. Accessed 14, Sept. 2014. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v433/n7024/abs/nature03185.html

This article investigated how the venus fly trap snaps and how the speed of the trap aids in its capture of its prey. This will be helpful in understanding the snapping mechanism and exactly what it took from an evolutionary standpoint to make this plant as efficient as it is in acquiring what it needs to survive.

Three ways this page could be improved are to talk about how the organism’s trap attracts and lures prey into its trap, to talk about and expand on how the plant developed a carnivorous trap in the first place, and to talk about what nutrients exactly the plant gains from digesting insects specifically that it could not acquire by other means Houchens.9 (talk) 18:18, 30 September 2014 (UTC)Willie Houchens

Please include in the evolution section of the article how the Venus flytrap attracts its prey to its carnivorous leaves. The following article I believe addresses this topic.

Jurgens, A.; El-Sayed, A.M.; and Suckling, D.M. “Do carnivorous plants use volatiles for attracting prey insects?” Functional Ecology. Published 18, Sept 2009. Accessed 14, Sept. 2014. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01626.x/full Houchens.9 (talk) 02:10, 2 October 2014 (UTC)Willie Houchens Houchens.9 (talk) 02:10, 2 October 2014 (UTC)

In the carnivory section, something like following could be inserted: In order for these traps to work, prey must actually come to them, a study in 2009 focused on how exactly carnivorous plants attract prey to its trap. This study concluded that it is possible that most carnivorous plants make use of a chemical substance in order to attract its prey. It also stated in the results of the study that the Venus flytrap emits a scent from its trap, even though it is relatively weak, in order to attract nectar-seeking insects from a close distance to feed on.

Jurgens, A.; El-Sayed, A.M.; and Suckling, D.M. 2009. Do carnivorous plants use volatiles for attracting prey insects? Functional Ecology, Volume 23, Issue 5. Accessed 14, Sept. 2014.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01626.x/full Houchens.9 (talk) 04:51, 18 November 2014 (UTC)Willie Houchens