THE WONDERFUL NEPENTHES

PART TWO

By: Christy Suzuki, RN

The Pitfall Zone

The Pitfall Zone

The Pitfall Zone starts “beneath the nectar glands at the

end of the peristome” (Barthlott, Porembski, Seine, &

Theisen, p. 157).

The Pitfall zone ends at the waterline of the digestive fluid.

The Pitfall Zone

There are TWO WAXY LAYERS

The INNER LAYER is waxy with a Net like

structure

The OUTER LAYER consists of

detachable wax plates.

The Pitfall Zone

When the prey falls into the

pitcher, it will try and climb out

BUT!

The Pitfall Zone

The DETACHABLE WAX PLATES

on the outer layer EASILY FALL OFF when touched,

making it impossible for bugs to get a good grip

to climb out.

The Digestive Zone

The DIGESTIVE ZONE is where all

of the digestive FLUID resides.

The Digestive ZoneThe WETTING AGENT

The digestive fluid contains

substances that completely wets

its prey…

The Digestive Zone

The WETTING AGENT

… The prey loses its ability to breathe in air

and drowns.

The Digestive Zone

Once the prey Drowns …

The Digestive Zone

… Let the Digestion begin.

FUN FACT # 1

Where the PITFALL ZONE

ends and the DIGESTIVE

ZONE begins is also known as the

HIP.

FUN FACT # 2What enzymes do the pitcher plant’s digestive glands

secrete?!?

Esterase Phosphatase

Protease Amino-peptidase

Peroxidase Ribonuclease

FUN FACT # 3

The FLUID inside an unopened pitcher plant has an ACIDIC pH of about 5.5.

PART THREECOMING IN FEBURARY