A carnivorous pitcher plant has been found to drug its prey with a chemical nerve agent before digesting it, researchers have discovered.
The plant, Nepenthes khasiana, produces a sweet nectar along the rim of its pitcher-shaped traps to attract insects, especially ants. While the liquid appears harmless, it is laced with a toxic compound called isoshinanolone that interferes with the insects’ nervous systems.
After feeding on the nectar, ants become sluggish, lose muscle control and begin excessive grooming. Many eventually fall into spasms, sometimes dying before tumbling into the pitcher, where they are broken down by digestive fluids.
The nectar also contains several sugars that absorb moisture, making the pitcher’s rim extremely slippery and increasing the chance that drugged insects slide into the trap. Scientists say this combination of chemical poisoning and physical design makes the nectar both bait and weapon.
By consuming insects in this way, Nepenthes khasiana gains vital nutrients that help it survive in the nutrient-poor soils where it grows.
