Ch5 - Venus Flytrap
Carnivorous plants are quite extraordinary: they are plants that eat meat. These flowers attract animals and catch them in traps, which are actually their own leaves, only transformed. Although these plants are often classified as "insectivores", it is not entirely correct: their prey also includes arachnids, small crustaceans, even mice and rats.
One of the best known carnivorous plants is the Venus flytrap. In nature, it can be found only on a small area of North and South Carolina, in USA.
This small plant has a very distinctive appearance. The leaves are divided into 2 sections: the long, narrow green part of the leaf capable of producing nutrients on its own – just like the majority of other plants do; the broader part of the leaf, which forms an effective animal trap. The trap, composed of 2 lobes, attracts insects with its vibrant red color and sweet nectar. On the inner side of these lobes grow three trigger hairs, necessary to detect the prey.
Catching the prey by a Venus flytrap is a remarkable sight. The plant waits patiently for its meal – the trap closes either if the insect touches one trigger hair twice, or two trigger hairs in less than half a minute. For a plant, the Venus flytrap is incredibly quick: it takes less than one second for the trap to shut.
The plant activates when an insect is caught and starts fighting to get out. The lobes tighten and the digestive fluids dissolve the victim slowly, around a week. The exact time required to digest the prey depends on its size. When the nutrients are absorbed, the trap opens once again and the hunting begins anew. Each trap can catch the prey up to four times before it withers and a new trap grows in its place.
Another well-known example of a carnivorous plant is Drosera, commonly referred to as sundew. There are almost 200 known species of sundew, four of which grow in Poland. Sundews have a slightly different hunting strategy. First, they attract the prey with their color and sweet nectar produced by glands growing on their leaves. Then, they cover the victim with it and close the trap shut. Sundews do not hurry with closing the trap – the process can last even three hours.
The name "pitcher plant" derives from the unusual shape of leaves that form the plant's traps. The size of those "pitchers" differs depending on species; the record-breakers can reach about several dozens of centimeters in length. The traps are filled with digestive fluid that dissolves the caught prey. The rim of the pitcher has a double function: it attracts the prey, and the slippery substances on it make the prey slip into the trap. Each pitcher is covered by a leafy lid, to avoid the dilution of digestive fluid.
Despite the huge appetite of carnivorous plants, not all animals should fear them. Some insects even cooperate with these plants. An ant species from Borneo, for example, uses the pitcher plants Nepenthes bicalcaeataas its shelter. In return, the plant can count on it to unclog its digestive system by eating insects that are too big for the plant.
Build
To build this model, you will need LEGO Education WeDo 2.0
Explore
Venus flytrap is a remarkable plant that uses traps to catch insects.
It acts as if it had real muscles, but in reality, shutting the trap is possible thanks to chemical and physical reactions.
The LEGO Venus flytrap is a real trap that reacts to movement.
1. The main part of the trap, where the insects are lured, is a pair of two terminal lobes.
2. Closed lobes form a space impossible to escape from.
The mechanism closing the lobes is composed of a belt drive and cogwheels.
1. The short axle relays the motor power to the transparent wedge belt wheel.
2. Two cogwheels connected with a yellow rubber band create the belt drive. Here, it is used to forward the drive from the lower part of the stem upwards.
3. Two meshed gear wheels rotate in opposite directions. It allows the lobes to close evenly.
The stem of the Venus flytrap is sturdy and firmly affixed to the motor and the hub.
1. The vertical beam with holes creates a perfect framework for the transmissions.
The Venus flytrap model uses three electronic elements.
1. The hub powers and controls both elements connected to it, in accordance with the program created.
2. The motor propels the interconnected transmissions, in order to open and close the trap.
3. The motion sensor is able to detect an insect flying over it, and send this information to the hub.
1. The giraffe model is propelled by a motor installed on its back.
2. Next to the giraffe you can see a hub, which powers the construction, reads the program commands and controls the motor appropriately.
Program
Begin the Venus flytrap program with the Start Block.
