How Does a Sundew Plant Catch Its Prey?
The sundew plant uses sticky serum to attract insects, then closes in on them as they become trapped in the sticky goo.
Watch a Video of the Carnivorous Sundew Plant Eating its Prey
The sundew plants use sticky tentacles to catch their prey. The sweet-smelling secretions from these tentacles attract insects. Animals get caught in the sweet goo, and they are enveloped by the mucilage. Then the plant uses enzymes to digest its prey. The enzymes will dissolve the animal and allow the plant to absorb the nutrients. How Does a Sundew Move Its Tentacles? Animals are known to move when danger approaches or when food is near. Plants – not so much. How does a carnivorous plant know when to move its tentacles to capture its prey? Amazingly, plants do have a sense of touch and will respond to an external stimulus. Think about the bean plant as it climbs and curls its tendrils around a pole. The sundew has an extreme sensitivity to touch, and its response is also very rapid. It can move its tentacles as soon as the foot of a small fly touches the plant. Distribution of the Sundew Plant Drosera rotundifolia or the round-leaved sundew is a fairly common plant around the world,
