A very rare carnivorous plant species termed as Utricularia Furcellata has been found in the western Himalayan region for the first time ever. The discovery has been made by the research team of the Uttarakhand Forest Department. It involved Range Officer Harish Negi and Junior Research Fellow Manoj Singh. The research has been published in the prestigious ‘Journal of Japanese Botany’, which is a 106-year-old journal on plant taxonomy and botany. Chief Conservator of Forest (Research) Sanjiv Chaturvedi said while speaking to PTI said, “It is the first sighting of the plant not only in Uttarakhand but in the entire western Himalayan region.”
Uttarakhand | In significant finding, research wing of Uttarakhand Forest department discovered rare carnivorous plant Utricularia Furcellata, in Mandal valley of Chamoli. This is 1st such recording in entire western Himalayan region said Chief Conservator of Forest (Research) pic.twitter.com/ewX4zPRgGP— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 26, 2022
He further added how this is a proud moment for the state. “It uses one of the most sophisticated and developed plant structures for trap and the targets range from protozoa to insects, mosquito larvae and even young tadpoles,” he said. This carnivorous plant belongs to a genus which is commonly known as bladderworts. This discovery comes as a part of a project study of insectivorous plants in Uttarakhand.
Meanwhile, a latest study on another carnivorous plant which is called Venus Flytrap has made another revelations. The latest study suggests when a Venus flytrap snaps it mouth close on prey, it can produce a weak electromagnetic field around it. The plant has a large “mouth” filled with nectar which attracts insects. Once the prey falls for the deception, the “mouth” closes, trapping it inside.
“Wherever there is electrical activity, there should also be magnetic activity,” said Anne Fabricant, lead author. It has been established that living things induce a small electrical current and because of the laws of physics, every electric field must create a magnetic field as well. It is called as “biomagnetism.”
The electrical signals are from the plant’s action potentials which trigger the closure of the leaf lobes (the mouth trapping the prey). The team used atomic magnetometers to record the subsequent magnetic field that followed these electric signals. Fabricant believes these signals have never been measured before because they are extremely weak, too feeble for older technologies to capture.
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