Carnivorous Capsella

Demetrio Lamzaki (Dee_Lamzaki@msn.com)
Wed, 5 Jun 96 01:05:26 UT

Hi Klaus,

>I want to know something about Capsella bursa-pastoris. What did
>you mean with "supposedly carnivorous"? The seedlings are
>carnivorous?

Actually it's the seeds themselves that supposedly capture prey. The
only thing I know about Capsella's supposed carnivory is what I've seen
in the documentary "DeathTrap", and in a general book on plants years
ago whose title escapes me. Here's the scenario: the seed falls to the
ground. It produces a highly viscous substance that covers the seedcoat
and has some kind of attractant for nematodes and other tiny soil
invertebrates. When these touch the substance, they are stuck fast, and
eventually die of exhaustion/starvation. A pile of bodies forms on each
seed. The emerging seedling gains nourishment from the captured animals
and thus gets a head start in its development. It's a seedling that
makes its own fertilizer. :-)

Whether any of the above has been proven scientifically to be factual I leave
to those who know the research in greater detail to answer, both the book and
the documentary showed animals stuck to the seeds, I haven't had the
opportunity yet to try germinating seed of it myself but when I do I'll
examine the seeds to see if they capture prey. How widespread this occurrence
is with seeds of other species is also something that would be interesting to
find out.

Regards,

Demetrios