A carnivorous leaf of Triphyophyllum peltatum with glands excreting a sticky liquid to capture insect victim. Credit: Traud Winkelmann/ University of Hannover
Triphyophyllum peltatum is an unique plant native to the tropical regions of West Africa. This specific liana types gathers considerable attention from the medical and pharmaceutical sectors owing to its special constituents. Laboratory tests have exposed that its constituents display promising clinically beneficial activities against pancreatic cancer and leukemia cells, to name a few, as well as against the pathogens that trigger malaria and other illness.
Nevertheless, the plant types is also interesting from a botanical point of view: Triphyophyllum peltatum is the just recognized plant in the world that can become a carnivore under certain scenarios. Its menu then consists of small bugs, which it captures with the help of adhesive traps in the form of secretion drops and digests with lytic enzymes manufactured.
High flexibility in the developmental phases
High versatility can be observed in the leaves of the plant, which establish 3 various types depending upon the phase of advancement. While in the juvenile phase, basic leaves are at first formed, later on so-called “trap leaves” can be formed, which bring a great deal of adhesive traps. When these trap leaves have actually served their function, the plant either forms normal leaves again or– if the plant has actually gone into the liana stage– entrusts to two hooks at the suggestion as climbing support.
” We exposed the plant to different tension elements, including deficiencies of numerous nutrients, and studied how it reacted to each. A considerably reduced supply of phosphorus is currently enough to activate the development into a carnivorous plant, according to the researcher.
When Triphyophyllum peltatum goes into the liana phase, the plant forms entrusts 2 hooks at the pointer as a climbing assistance. Credit: Traud Winkelmann/ University of Hannover
As far as the expression of leaf identity is worried, Triphyophyllum peltatum shows a high degree of flexibility: the developmental phases can vary in length, and the meat-eating phase can be omitted totally or offseted at a later stage. Thus, the plant seems to adjust to the prevailing conditions of its habitat.
Success in propagation and growing
The trigger that turns the plant into a predator was formerly unidentified. One factor for this was the fact that Triphyophyllum peltatum was considered very tough to cultivate and therefore the development of trap leaves was hard to study experimentally. This problem has actually now been resolved by researchers at Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU).
They first was successful in cultivating the Triphyophyllum peltatum in the greenhouse of the Würzburg Botanical Garden. In Hannover, conditions were established to propagate the plants in big numbers under in vitro conditions, i.e. in culture vessels on well-defined nutrition media.
Teacher Traud Winkelmann from the Institute of Horticultural Production Systems at Leibniz University Hannover and her associate Anne Herwig from the Institute of Soil Science at LUH were included, along with Würzburg teachers Gerhard Bringmann (Institute of Organic Chemistry) and Rainer Hedrich (Julius-von-Sachs-Institute of Biosciences).
Phosphorus shortage triggers the improvement
However what is much more substantial is that with the help of these plants, the research group was able to recognize the aspect that triggers the improvement to the predator lifestyle. The group has now published the outcomes of this research study in the existing concern of the journal New Phytologist.
” We exposed the plant to different tension factors, consisting of shortages of different nutrients, and studied how it responded to each. Just in one case were we able to observe the formation of traps: when it comes to an absence of phosphorus,” states Traud Winkelmann, summing up the main result of the study. A considerably lowered supply of phosphorus is already adequate to set off the development into a carnivorous plant, according to the researcher.
In its original environment in African tropical forests on nutrient-poor soils, Triphyophyllum peltatum can hence avoid the danger of malnutrition by forming traps and accessing the essential dietary component through the food digestion of its insect prey. “These new findings are an advancement because they allow future molecular analyses that will help comprehend the origins of carnivory,” the researchers are convinced.
Reference: “Carnivory as needed: phosphorus deficiency induces glandular leaves in the African liana Triphyophyllum peltatum” by Traud Winkelmann, Gerhard Bringmann, Anne Herwig and Rainer Hedrich, 16 May 2023, New Phytologist.DOI: 10.1111/ nph.18960.
The research study was funded by the German Research Foundation.
Triphyophyllum peltatum is an unique plant native to the tropical regions of West Africa. High versatility can be observed in the leaves of the plant, which establish three various types depending on the stage of advancement. When these trap leaves have served their purpose, the plant either types normal leaves again or– if the plant has gone into the liana phase– leaves with two hooks at the idea as climbing support.
