Question

With the help of three examples, discuss how leaves of insectivorous plants are modified to trap insects.

Answer 1

Insectivorous plants trap insects and digest them for nutrition. Insectivorous plants have modifications to their leaves to help them trap insects:

1. The leaves of bladderwort are slender and have many small, pear shaped bladders that trap insects by sucking them in. The insects are then digested in the bladders.
2. The leaves of sundew plant have tentacles, which are long, thin structures having drops of sticky substance called mucilage at their ends. When an insect touches them, it sticks in the mucilage and is then digested.
3. The Venus flytrap has leaves with short, stiff hair on their inner surface. On touching the hair, the insects get snap shut in the leaves, where the trapped insect is eventually digested.