We
already knew birds can count, but what about plants? Is
this idea so surrealist? No, it isn’t because research
says the carnivorous plant with a suggestive name, Venus
Flytrap (also referred to ‘Dionaea muscipula’),
snaps its jaws shut only when the tiny hairs on the surface
of the trapping structure formed by two lobes have been
stimulated twice within a 20-second window. An additional
stimulation primes the trap for digestion. Five stimulations
trigger the production of digestive enzymes – and
more additional hairs’ stimulations mean more enzymes.
But
obviously it isn’t a question of math abilities,
but rather a strategy to economize energy in an environment
poor in nutrients. In fact, counting the number of pulses
is important to the plant to figure out whether it is
worthwhile to spend (or not) the energy needed to chomp
its prey and
digest it.
Sources:
- Smithsonian.
- The
Atlantic.
Related
links:
- Numberopedia.
- History
of Numbers.
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