Overview
- The study published in Nature Communications on Aug. 4 used field surveys, herbarium checks, enzyme assays, isotope feeding and genomic analysis to confirm Saxifraga candelabrum is truly carnivorous.
- Researchers found sticky glandular hairs on most specimens that trap dozens of small gnats and detected phosphatase enzyme activity that breaks down prey for absorption.
- In feeding trials with fruit flies labeled with nitrogen-15, insect-derived nitrogen moved into the plant’s tissues and concentrated in flowers, showing the plant takes up prey nutrients and directs them to reproduction.
- Genomic comparisons revealed shared gene expansions and accelerated evolution in pathways linked to prey attraction, digestion and nutrient uptake, suggesting convergent molecular solutions with other carnivores.
- The species grows on nutrient-poor alpine rock faces at about 2,500–3,300 meters, is not currently endangered, and the authors say the finding opens a targeted way to search for other hidden or partial carnivores among flowering plants.