Carnivorous plants attract, trap and digest animals for the nutrients they contain. There are currently around 630 species of carnivorous plant known to science.
Although most meat-eating plants consume insects, larger plants are capable of digesting reptiles and small mammals. Smaller carnivorous plants specialise in single-celled organisms (such as bacteria and protozoa) and aquatic examples also eat crustaceans, mosquito larvae and small fish.
Carnivory is such an efficient adaptation that it has evolved independently several times and occurs in unrelated plant families.
But while it's great for a nutrient top-up, carnivory doesn't replace the need for photosynthesis and root systems. Being carnivorous simply helps the plants make the most of all available resources. Continue reading from the National History Museum
Plants are a kingdom of life forms that includes familiar organisms such as trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns and mosses. Through photosynthesis, they convert water and carbon dioxide into the oxygen we breathe and the sugars that provide the primary fuel for life. Through nitrogen fixation, plants generate proteins that are basic building blocks of life. Early fossil records of photosynthesizing organisms date from about 3 billion years ago. Continue reading from The Center for Biological Diversity
