Bladderworts
Utricularia
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Utricularia inflata
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2009 Makoto Honda. All Rights Reserved
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A Badderwort's
suction trap
in action. When the trap is set, the inside pressure is kept lower than
the outside of the trap. Because of this pressure differential, the elastic
walls of the trap are warped inwardly and appear concave. This is due to
the glands scattered all over the trap wall which pump the water out of
the trap interior. The moment a delicate latch of the door is disturbed,
the door swings open inwardly with a rush of bladderful of water. The
walls of the elastic trap bulges, and the door closes again instantaneously.
The trap resets itself once again in a matter of 15 -30min due to the
constant pumping of water by the glands. <Above> A Bladderwort trap as seen from above. The trap is set and the elastic walls of the trap appear concave due to the lower water pressure of the interior. The bladder is set........ I triggered the trap by disturbing the entrance door of the bladder with the head of a pin. <Middle> The moment the trap is triggered, the walls bulge with the in-rush of water. This causes a tiny water animal at the opening door to be sucked into the bladder trap. <Below> In a matter of fifteen minutes, the bladder is reset. |