ScienceTake | Plants Can Count?
The Venus flytrap, a plant that eats insects, will clamp its leaves shut only after trigger hairs are tripped two times within about 20 seconds. Even without nerves, it counts electric impulses that go from cell to cell.
By DAVID FRANK and JAMES GORMAN on Publish Date February 1, 2016.The following lesson activities are based on the above video and the article “The Venus Flytrap, a Plant That Can Count.”
Before Reading
Consider the title of the article. What do you think it might mean?
After Reading
Read the entire article and answer the questions, supporting your responses by citing evidence from the text.
1. How do Venus flytraps get their nutrients?
2. What triggers the plant to close its trap on its prey?
3. What were researchers at the University of Würzburg, in Germany, trying to figure out about Venus flytraps?
4. What did these researchers find out about the role that electrical impulses play in both the process of trapping and digesting prey?
5. How does the Venus flytrap’s feeding mechanism demonstrate efficiency?
Going Further
What makes a carnivore intelligent? The Venus flytrap demonstrates a smart use of electrical impulses to trap and digest prey efficiently. But that doesn’t mean it has the ability to problem-solve or demonstrate flexible thinking. Watch this Science Take video showing a research experiment that tested how well carnivores could solve a physical puzzle. What did the scientists find out?
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