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Fatal Attraction Hauntingly beautiful carnivorous pitcher plant attract insects for food |
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Scent is a chemical signal that attracts pollinators to a particular flower in search of nectar or pollen, or both. The volatile organic compounds emitted play a prominent role in the localization and selection of blossoms by insects, especially moth-pollinated flowers, which are detected and visited at night. Species pollinated by bees and butterflies have sweet perfumes, whereas those pollinated by beetles have strong musty, spicy or fruity smells. To date, little is know about how insects respond to the individual chemical components, but it is clear that they are capable of distinguishing among complex aroma mixtures. In addition to attracting insects and guiding them to food resources within the bloom, floral volatiles are essential for insects to discriminate among plant types and even among individual flowers of a single species. For example, closely related plant species that rely on different types of insects for pollination produce different odours, reflecting the olfactory sensitivities or preferences of the pollinators. By providing species specific signals, the fragrances facilitate an insect's ability to learn particular food sources, thereby increasing its foraging efficiency. At the same time, successful pollen transfer (thus sexual reproduction) is ensured, benefiting the plants. |
A lowland Nepenthes truncata
from the
Philippines,
showing nectar
production on the front of the
pitcher lip.The nectar
is spiked
with narcotic, so that the visitor soon feel giddy, loses it balance or
footing and plunges into a vat of watery digestive juices where it drowns. Due to its thick leaves and pitchers, it can tolerate lower humidity levels than most Nepenthes. The plant can grow up-to or more than four feet in diameter with large monster pitchers at the end of its heart shaped leaves. |
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Scent outputs tend to be at the highest levels only when the flowers are ready for pollination and when potential pollinators are active. Bees and butterflies tend to plants that maximize their output during the day, whereas flowers that release their fragrance mostly at night are visited by moths and bats. During development, recently opened and young buds, which are not ready to function as pollen donors, produce fewer odors and are less appealing to pollinators than older flowers. Once a flower has been sufficiently fertilized, its bouquets are again reduced, encouraging insects to select other blossoms instead. Acknowledgment, source of information for pitcher plant; Copyright 2005 Scientific American. Natalia Dudareva, associate professor in the department of hoticulture and landscape architecture at Purdue University. The Star, 16 Oct.2005 page 40 Sci-Tech.
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Lower pitcher of Nepenthes truncata from Red Hill, Mindanao, on the Phillippines, one of the biggest Nepenthes species in the world. Nepenthes truncata (Latin: truncatus = terminating abruptly) is a carnivorous pitcher plant. The Nepenthes truncata plant grows on exposed mountainsides at an altitude of 230-600 meters and it is characterized by its heart-shaped (truncate) leaves and very large pitchers, which can reach up to 50 cm (18 inches) in height.
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