Re: Re: What is a carnivorous plant?

dave evans (T442119@RUTADMIN.RUTGERS.EDU)
Mon, 19 Jun 95 20:04 EDT

> From: Peter Cole <carnivor@BUNYIP.DEMON.CO.UK>
----------------
Becky writes:

Geez, you've never heard of an algae bloom that used up all
the oxygen and killed off all the fish?
-----------------
>
> Ah, but only red marine algae - I've encountered the argument
> before, but I find it a little too spurious even for me :) even
> with the supposed nutritional benefit to the algae. I guess the
> main objection is that there appears to be no attraction or trapping
> of prey, just blanket poisoning/suffocation.
>
Hi guys,
I read in Discover last year that these are indeed very carnivous.
after the alge kills the fish and ect they change their morphology
to become animal like. They give up using chlorophyll move under their
own power similar to amoeba and eat the dead. I forget the whole of
how this was found but after the red tides researchers weren't finding
anywhere the number of alge they were expecting and started looking.
Reading this really shocked me... it still doesn't sound possible.
I guess we are going to have to add algae to our collections. I
beleive there is some debate as to whether these are really plants or
not though.

Dave Evans

"It's Mega-Maid sir, she gone from suck to blow!"
-Space Balls