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What do the minerals obtained from trapped insects compensate for in a Venus flytrap?
AMinerals lacking in its boggy low pH soil
BSugars lacking because its leaves are small
CWater lacking because its roots are shallow
DLight lacking because it grows in deep shade
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Minerals lacking in its boggy low pH soil
1. An insectivorous plant has specialised leaves that attract and digest insects.
2. In the Venus flytrap the minerals obtained from prey compensate for those lacking in the boggy, low pH soil of its native habitat.
3. Nectar secreted by the plant attracts flies to the leaf, and touching the sensory hairs closes it immediately.
4. Fluids and enzymes then break down the prey and the minerals are absorbed by the leaf.
5. The plant still photosynthesises, so the shortfall it is making up is mineral rather than energy.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 31 "Soil and Plant Nutrition", section 31.3 Nutritional Adaptations of Plants_
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