A carnivorous pitcher plant has been found to drug its prey with a toxic nerve agent before digesting it, researchers have discovered.
The plant, Nepenthes khasiana, produces a sweet nectar along the rim of its pitcher-shaped traps to attract insects such as ants. But this nectar contains isoshinanolone, a nerve toxin that disrupts the insects’ nervous systems, slowing their movements, weakening muscles and triggering excessive grooming.
As the toxin takes effect, the insects become disoriented, often falling into spasms and tumbling upside down into the pitcher, where they are broken down by digestive fluids. In some cases, the nerve agent can kill the prey outright.
The nectar also contains several sugars that absorb water, making the rim extremely slippery and increasing the chance that affected insects slide into the trap. Together, the sugary lure and chemical weapon act as both bait and mechanism, allowing the plant to obtain nutrients from insects in the nutrient-poor soils where it grows.
