The Venus Fly Trap

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the Venus Fly Trap, a rare carnivorous plant that feeds on living matter rather than through the process of photosynthesis like other plants. It examines specific aspects of the plant, such as its closing mechanism and evolutionary tree, and identifies the value of the plant to pharmaceuticals and health care and its adaptation to other geographical areas, such as the bottom of the sea.

From the Paper:

"In fact, it is becoming increasingly difficult to learn about the Venus flytrap in the wild due to decreasing numbers. According to Stiefel in "Meat-Eating Plants" in Science World (2000), the plants are solely found in the Savannah's of North and South Carolina in an approximate radius of only 60 to 75 miles. Measuring just 4 to 12 inches in height, they are often stolen by human predators to sell on the market for a couple of dollars. The heavy fines do not dissuade them: North Carolina now levies tickets of up to $2,000 for poaching the plant! Venus flytraps are a federal species of concern (FSC)--a species that may or may not be listed in the future. They are not endangered or threatened, but entitled to regulatory protection because their exploitation could get them to the endangered-threatened stage. In addition, around the world the natural wetland habitats of the all the carnivore plants have been systematically drained to erect shopping malls and housing developments. Almost 90 percent of carnivorous plants indigenous to the U.S. have been eradicated because only 3 to 5 percent of their swampy habitat still remains."

More papers on The Venus Fly Trap:

• Essay # 46046 : "Venus Fly Trap: Nature's Own Bug Zapper"
• Research Paper # 129042 : "Droseraceae: The Sundew Family"
• Book Review # 104199 : "Virginia Hamilton's "The People Could Fly"

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