Trapping Mechanisms and Symbiosis flashcards

This set of flashcards covers key terms and definitions related to trapping mechanisms, symbiosis, and nutritional strategies in plants.

Pitfall Traps

Trapping mechanism involving a rolled leaf that forms a pool of digestive enzymes or bacteria, exemplified by pitcher plants (genus Nepenthes).

Flypaper Traps

A trapping mechanism that utilizes sticky mucilage on tentacles to capture insects, with examples such as sundew plants (Drosera rotundifolia).

Snap Traps

Trapping mechanism characterized by rapid leaf movements to capture prey, as seen in the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula).

Bladder Traps

Trapping mechanism that sucks in prey through a bladder that generates an internal vacuum, typical of bladderworts (Utricularia).

Symbiosis

Close and often long-term interactions between different biological species.

Mutualism

A type of symbiotic relationship where both the symbiont and host benefit.

Commensalism

Symbiotic relationship in which the symbiont benefits with little effect on the host.

Parasitism

A type of symbiotic relationship where the symbiont benefits at the detriment of the host.

Mycorrhizae

Symbiosis between terrestrial plants and fungi that colonize their roots, crucial for nutrient absorption in many plants.

Lichenism

Composite organisms formed from a symbiotic association between a fungus and a photosynthetic partner, found in extreme environments.

Nodule bacteria

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as Rhizobium, that coexist with legume roots and convert nitrogen gas into ammonia.

Saprophytic Plants

Plants that obtain nutrients from decaying organic matter and are non-photosynthetic, such as some orchids.

Parasitic Plants

Plants that absorb organic substances from living hosts, lacking chlorophyll and utilizing haustoria to connect to host tissues.

Semi-Parasitic Plants

Plants that obtain some nourishment from hosts while also conducting photosynthesis, like mistletoe.

Mixotrophy

Combination of autotrophy and heterotrophy, where organisms derive nutrients from both photosynthesis and consuming other organisms.

Carnivorous Plants

Plants that trap and consume animals, typically insects, while also performing photosynthesis.