Blue Fluorescent Emissions from Carnivorous Plant Attracts Prey: Indian Scientists

     Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Pacha-Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India have reported a new prey capture mechanism in some species of carnivorous plants. They found the existence of distinct blue fluorescence emissions at the 'capture spots' of Nepenthes, Sarracenia, Drosera, Pinguicula, Dionaea muscipula and Utricularia stellaris at UV 366 nm. When the capture spot was masked by coating a non-fluorescent extract, the pray capture was drastically reduced. The study has been published as a short research paper in  the current issue of  'Plant Biology' 

Photo : Dr. Sabulal Baby (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1438-8677.2012.00709.x/suppinfo)

     They  propose these molecular emissions as a critical factor attracting arthropods and other visitors to these carnivorous traps. 

     The study was done under the Co-ordination of Dr. Sabulal Baby (Phytochemistry and Phytopharmacology Division) other team members include Rajani Kurup, Anil J. Johnson, Sreethu Sankar,(Phytochemistry and Phytopharmacology Division), Abdul A. Hussain (Garden Management Division), Chellappan Sathish Kumar (Plant Genetic Resources Division) of Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Pacha-Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.

Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1438-8677.2012.00709.x/abstract