re: Utric trap mimic

From: Vitor Fernandes Oliveira de Miranda (vmiranda@rc.unesp.br)
Date: Tue May 16 2000 - 04:41:32 PDT

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Date: Tue, 16 May 2000 08:41:32 -0300
From: Vitor Fernandes Oliveira de Miranda <vmiranda@rc.unesp.br>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg1560$foo@default>
Subject: re: Utric trap mimic

Dear Bruce,

I guess the book was "The Private Life of the Plants", by David
Attemborough (or another name that seems this one). There is this
idea. It seems that the Utric traps mimic some micro crustaceans
physically, intending to atract these arthropods. If we compare
some Utric traps with water fleas, it\\264s surprising the
similarity between them. It is the reason the "branches" of the
traps were named "antennas", as the ones from water fleas and
another crustaceans. Therefore, I do not believe in that theory.
We know that the arthropods, usually, do not have a visual acuity
enough to distinguish some details, as those from the traps (e.g.
antennas or even the trap shape). We had investigated _Utricularia
cucullata_ traps, using scanning microscope. It seems more
reasonable that the armed antennas and another hairs around the
mouth of the trap work as a funnel that guide the crustaceans (or
another future preys) to the entrance. I do not think they guide
temselves using the vision, but so the touch. Maybe the touch is
more useful to forage than the vision, that has a low resolution for
these small animals.

Regards.

Vitor.

------- Vitor Fernandes Oliveira de Miranda Botanical Department Sao
Paulo State University Rio Claro-SP, Brazil e-mail:
vmiranda@rc.unesp.br ------

Bruce wrote:

I was looking through a CP book (can't remember which one) and saw a
photo of an aquatic Utric trap and a water flea side by side. The
similarity between the two was remarkable from their shape to the
branches at the top of the head.

Is there some kind of mimicry going on here? If so which one is
doing the mimicing?

Has anybody else noticed this before?

Bruce

Bruce Salmon 13 Rothery Road Manurewa Auckland 1702 New Zealand

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