Fossilized remains of an ancient
carnivorous plant have been unearthed by German researchers in
Russia. Two leaves from a member of the plant family, Roridulaceae,
were trapped in amber 35 million years ago. The leaves have the
characteristic hairs of a carnivorous plant such as a sundew or venus
fly-trap. Carnivorous plants are plants that have adapted to living
in nutrient poor locations,
The carnivorous sundew plant. (Photo: Orin Optiglot) |
This fossil was an incredible find, as
plants are rarely found preserved in amber, and this group of plants
is generally found in South Africa. Researchers now believe that
these plants were most likely more widespread than they are now.
Roridulaceae was thought to
have been isolated on the continent of Africa after the Gondwana
supercontinent broke apart around 180 million years ago. Perhaps this
was not entirely the case. Although the specimen is beautifully
preserved, it is hard to know what the plant looked like, or to truly
understand its behavior. We can assume that it operated similarly to
its more modern relatives. Roridulaceae is
an interesting group of carnivorous plants because individuals depend
on a symbiotic relationship with another insect to digest their
"prey".
Although just a sliver of botanical
history, the fossil does help to inform us of what the Baltic forest
may have been like during the Eocene epoch. We know that carnivorous
plants can grow in areas that are nutrient-poor, but this is only one
piece of a larger puzzle. Maybe this fossil discovery will make way
for others that help us paint a more accurate prehistoric picture.
Read More:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences "Carnivorous Leaves from Baltic Amber"(Full Text)
- New Scientist: "First carnivorous-plant fossil is 40 million years old"
- United Press International: "Baltic amber contains prehistoric fossil of carnivorous plant"
Fossil and Carnivorous Plant Adaptation
Resources:
- BBC Nature: Prehistoric Life-Amber (videos)
- BrainPop Educators: "Carnivorous Plants" (Need Subscription or Free Trial for some resources)
- Fossils in Amber (Scroll down to Science Lesson Extensions)
- Fossils for Kids- Amber (Lots of images)
- "Food Grab" Outdoor Lesson Plan
- Fruit Fly Traps, Bill Nye: "A Slice of Apple Fly"
- "Living Life as a Plant" PBS Media Lesson Plan
No comments:
Post a Comment