A carnivorous pitcher plant has been found to lace its sweet nectar with a nerve-disabling chemical to trap and kill insects.
Nepenthes khasiana produces sugary nectar along the rim of its pitcher-shaped leaves to attract ants and other insects. Researchers have discovered that this nectar contains isoshinanolone, a toxic nerve agent that disrupts the insects’ nervous systems, slowing movement, weakening muscles and triggering excessive grooming. Affected prey often lose coordination, fall into spasms and drop into the pitcher, sometimes dying before reaching the bottom.
The nectar also contains water-absorbing sugars that make the pitcher rim extremely slippery, further increasing the chances that drugged insects slide into the trap. Once inside, the prey is broken down by digestive fluids, providing vital nutrients for the plant in the nutrient-poor soils where it grows.
