Venus Flytraps Don’t Trap Their Pollinators

Scientists have for the first time discovered which insects pollinate a rare carnivorous plant called the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) — and found that the flytrap doesn’t dine on its pollinator species.

Venus flytrap in its native habitat. Image credit: Clyde Sorenson.

Venus flytrap in its native habitat. Image credit: Clyde Sorenson.

“Everybody’s heard of Venus flytraps, but nobody knew what pollinated them — so we decided to find out,” said Professor Clyde Sorenson, of North Carolina State University.

Professor Sorenson and colleagues captured insects found on Venus flytrap flowers at several sites during the plant’s five-week flowering season.

They identified each insect and checked to see if they were carrying Venus flytrap pollen — and, if they were carrying pollen, how much.

Out of about 100 types of insects found on the flowers, only a few were both common and carrying a lot of pollen: a green sweat bee (Augochlorella gratiosa), a checkered beetle (Trichodes apivorus) and the notch-tipped flower longhorn beetle (Typocerus sinuatus).

The authors also retrieved prey from more than 200 flytraps at the study sites. The three most important pollinator species were never found in the traps.

“One potential reason for this is the architecture of the plants themselves,” said Dr. Elsa Youngsteadt, also from North Carolina State University.

“Venus flytrap flowers are elevated on stems that stand fairly high above the snap traps of the plant, and we found that 87% of the flower-visiting individuals we captured — including all three of the most important species – could fly. But only 20% of the prey could fly.”

“The pollinator species may simply be staying above the danger zone as they go from flower to flower, making them less likely to be eaten.”

But other factors may also come into play.

“We know that the snap traps are different colors than the flowers, and may possibly lure different species,” Professor Sorenson said.

“We don’t yet know if they release different scents or other chemical signals that may also differentiate which portions of the plant are attractive to pollinators versus prey.”

“That’s one of the questions we plan to address moving forward,” he said.

The findings are published in The American Naturalist.

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Elsa Youngsteadt et al. Venus Flytrap Rarely Traps Its Pollinators. The American Naturalist, published online February 5, 2018; doi: 10.1086/696124

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