PLANTS THAT PREY

Plants have evolved to thrive in diverse environments, from tropical to Arctic climates, and from dry to waterlogged areas.

- ABHIJEET KABAD

To adapt to nutrient-deficient soils, some plants have developed insectivory, or more broadly, carnivory. By trapping and digesting prey—mainly insects—through specialized mechanisms, these plants gain vital nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Despite this, carnivorous plants still photosynthesize and absorb other nutrients from their environment, making them mixotrophic. The term "carnivorous syndrome" refers to the evolutionary changes in structure, gene expression, and other traits that enable these plants to capture and digest prey. Of the 250,000 species of flowering plants, about 810 are carnivorous, mainly in the Nepenthales and Lamiales orders. Carnivory has evolved independently in the plant kingdom at least 11 times, across 13 families, including the recently identified Triantha occidentalis in the Tofieldiaceae family.