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The mechanical basis for snapping of the Venus flytrap, Darwin’s ‘most wonderful plant in the world’

View ORCID ProfileJan T. Burri, Eashan Saikia, View ORCID ProfileNino F. Läubli, View ORCID ProfileHannes Vogler, View ORCID ProfileFalk K. Wittel, Markus Rüggeberg, View ORCID ProfileHans J. Herrmann, View ORCID ProfileIngo Burgert, View ORCID ProfileBradley J. Nelson, View ORCID ProfileUeli Grossniklaus
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/697797
Jan T. Burri
ETH Zurich, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
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Eashan Saikia
ETH Zurich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Zurich, 8093, Switzerland
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Nino F. Läubli
ETH Zurich, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
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Hannes Vogler
University of Zurich, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, Zurich, 8008, Switzerland
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  • ORCID record for Hannes Vogler
Falk K. Wittel
ETH Zurich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Zurich, 8093, Switzerland
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Markus Rüggeberg
ETH Zurich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Zurich, 8093, Switzerland
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Hans J. Herrmann
ETH Zurich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Zurich, 8093, Switzerland
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Ingo Burgert
ETH Zurich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Zurich, 8093, Switzerland
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Bradley J. Nelson
ETH Zurich, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
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Ueli Grossniklaus
University of Zurich, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, Zurich, 8008, Switzerland
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  • ORCID record for Ueli Grossniklaus
  • For correspondence: grossnik@botinst.uzh.ch
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ABSTRACT

The carnivorous Venus flytrap catches prey by an ingenious snapping mechanism. Based on work over the past 190 years, it has become generally accepted that two touches of the trap’s sensory hairs within 30 seconds, each one generating an action potential, are required to trigger closure of the trap. We developed an electromechanical model which, however, suggests that under certain circumstances one touch is sufficient to generate two action potentials. Using a force-sensing microrobotics system, we precisely quantified the sensory hair deflection parameters necessary to trigger trap closure, and correlated them with the elicited action potentials in vivo. Our results confirm the model’s predictions, suggesting that the Venus flytrap may be adapted to a wider range of prey movement than previously assumed.

Footnotes

  • ↵* hannes.vogler{at}botinst.uzh.ch, bnelson{at}ethz.ch, grossnik{at}botinst.uzh.ch

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted July 10, 2019.
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The mechanical basis for snapping of the Venus flytrap, Darwin’s ‘most wonderful plant in the world’
Jan T. Burri, Eashan Saikia, Nino F. Läubli, Hannes Vogler, Falk K. Wittel, Markus Rüggeberg, Hans J. Herrmann, Ingo Burgert, Bradley J. Nelson, Ueli Grossniklaus
bioRxiv 697797; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/697797
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The mechanical basis for snapping of the Venus flytrap, Darwin’s ‘most wonderful plant in the world’
Jan T. Burri, Eashan Saikia, Nino F. Läubli, Hannes Vogler, Falk K. Wittel, Markus Rüggeberg, Hans J. Herrmann, Ingo Burgert, Bradley J. Nelson, Ueli Grossniklaus
bioRxiv 697797; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/697797

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