Next Article in Journal
Gut–Brain Axis: Insights from Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Brain Tumor Development in a Mouse Model of Experimental Colitis Induced by Dextran Sodium Sulfate
Next Article in Special Issue
Sessile Trichomes Play Major Roles in Prey Digestion and Absorption, While Stalked Trichomes Function in Prey Predation in Byblis guehoi
Previous Article in Journal
Nanomaterials: A Review about Halloysite Nanotubes, Properties, and Application in the Biological Field
Previous Article in Special Issue
Secondary Metabolites with Biomedical Applications from Plants of the Sarraceniaceae Family
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Chemonastic Stalked Glands in the Carnivorous Rainbow Plant Byblis gigantea LINDL. (Byblidaceae, Lamiales)

1
Botanical Garden, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
2
Botanical Garden, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
3
Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(19), 11514; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911514
Submission received: 13 September 2022 / Revised: 23 September 2022 / Accepted: 23 September 2022 / Published: 29 September 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carnivorous Plant Biology: From Gene to Traps)

Abstract

Carnivorous rainbow plants (Byblis, Byblidaceae, Lamiales) possess sticky flypaper traps for the capture, retention, and digestion of prey (mainly small insects). The trapping system is based on a multitude of millimeter-sized glandular trichomes (also termed stalked glands), which produce adhesive glue drops. For over a century, the trapping system of Byblis was considered passive, meaning that no plant movement is involved. Recently, a remarkable discovery was made: the stalked glands of Byblis are indeed capable of reacting to chemical (protein) stimuli with slow movement responses. This prompted us to investigate this phenomenon further with a series of experiments on the stimulation, kinematics, actuation, and functional morphology of the stalked glands of cultivated Byblis gigantea plants. Measured stalked gland lengths and densities on the trap leaves are similar to the data from the literature. Motion reactions could only be triggered with chemical stimuli, corroborating the prior study on the stalked gland sensitivity. Reaction time (i.e., time from stimulation until the onset of motion) and movement duration are temperature-dependent, which hints towards a tight physiological control of the involved processes. The stalked gland movement, which consist of a sequence of twisting and kinking motions, is rendered possible by the components of the stalk cell wall and is furthermore anatomically and mechanically predetermined by the orientation of cellulose microfibrils in the cell wall. Successive water displacement processes from the stalk cell into the basal cells actuate the movement. The same kinematics could be observed in stalked glands drying in air or submersed in a saturated salt solution. Stimulated and dried stalked glands as well as those from the hypertonic medium were capable of regaining their initial shape by rehydration in water. However, no glue production could be observed afterwards. The long-time overlooked chemonastic movements of stalked glands may help Byblis to retain and digest its prey; however, further research is needed to shed light on the ecological characteristics of the rainbow plant’s trapping system.
Keywords: biomechanics; carnivory; functional morphology; prey capture; trichome biomechanics; carnivory; functional morphology; prey capture; trichome

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Poppinga, S.; Knorr, N.; Ruppert, S.; Speck, T. Chemonastic Stalked Glands in the Carnivorous Rainbow Plant Byblis gigantea LINDL. (Byblidaceae, Lamiales). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 11514. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911514

AMA Style

Poppinga S, Knorr N, Ruppert S, Speck T. Chemonastic Stalked Glands in the Carnivorous Rainbow Plant Byblis gigantea LINDL. (Byblidaceae, Lamiales). International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022; 23(19):11514. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911514

Chicago/Turabian Style

Poppinga, Simon, Noah Knorr, Sebastian Ruppert, and Thomas Speck. 2022. "Chemonastic Stalked Glands in the Carnivorous Rainbow Plant Byblis gigantea LINDL. (Byblidaceae, Lamiales)" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23, no. 19: 11514. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911514

APA Style

Poppinga, S., Knorr, N., Ruppert, S., & Speck, T. (2022). Chemonastic Stalked Glands in the Carnivorous Rainbow Plant Byblis gigantea LINDL. (Byblidaceae, Lamiales). International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(19), 11514. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911514

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop