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Insect Consumption


Alex G

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Hi there,

A question I've been pondering curiously for some time... If my Sarracenia doesn't have any liquid inside, how does it absorb the nutrients from the flies it's catching? The flies don't seem to break down. They just seem to sit there and not do much else.

Does anyone know how having a fly inside the plant actually do anything for it?

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Hello

This link has interesting info about the luring, trapping and digestion of sarracenia. 

https://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/sarracenia-luring-trapping-and-digestion-t16723.html

Basically, you can divide them in two groups: one group collects rain water, the other one doesn't. The group that doesn't collect rainwater digests the prey only with enzymes. They produce very little of them and normally you wouldn't notice them. Additionally, these enzymes only digest the soft intestins and leave the keratin skeletton alone. That's why it seems like nothing is happening. The other group has these enzymes too, but in the collected rainwater there live micro organisms that help with digestion. 

I hope this clears things up.

Jasper

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