Abstract
Similar to animals, plants have evolved mechanisms for elastic energy storage and release to power and control rapid motion, yet both groups have been largely studied in isolation. This is exacerbated by the lack of consistent terminology and conceptual frameworks describing elastically powered motion in both groups. Iconic examples of fast movements can be found in carnivorous plants, which have become important models to study biomechanics, developmental processes, evolution and ecology. Trapping structures and processes vary considerably between different carnivorous plant groups. Using snap traps, suction traps and springboard-pitfall traps as examples, we illustrate how traps mix and match various mechanisms to power, trigger and actuate motions that contribute to prey capture, retention and digestion. We highlight a fundamental trade-off between energetic investment and movement control and discuss it in a functional-ecological context.
Highlights
‘Biologists have long been attracted to (...) extremes because they provide especially clear examples from which to determine structure-function relations’ [1, p. 100]
While animal movements are generally limited by muscle power output [32], the speed of hydraulic plant movements is limited by the rate of fluid transport across cell membranes [33]
Motile traps of carnivorous traps have traditionally been classified as ‘active’ as opposed to ‘passive’ traps. This terminology has been called into question [34], because it lumps together multiple processes that contribute to a prey capture event, and because it confounds motion with control and energetic investment
Summary
‘Biologists have long been attracted to (...) extremes because they provide especially clear examples from which to determine structure-function relations’ [1, p. 100]. Most animal predators power fast prey capture intrinsically and synchronously—i.e. using muscle power directly The speed of such muscle-powered movements is limited by (i) the power output rate of the muscle which is capped at approximately 300 W kg−1 and decreases as contraction speed increases [32], (ii) the time available for muscle contraction—by definition short in a fast movement— and (iii) the available acceleration distance which decreases with body size. Powered muscle contractions or hydraulic forces gradually load springs over time, converting metabolic energy into elastic energy This accumulated energy is released when prey triggers the removal of a ‘latch’ [3,42]. By comparing animal and plant predators, we found similarities and differences Both use spring-loaded mechanisms because prey capture often requires extremely rapid movements and high accelerations [2,3].
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