Question

A carnivorous plant similar to Utricularia in being rootless, aquatic, and resembling Venus Fly Trap in the catching mechanism is -
(a)Aldrovanda
(b)Pinguicula
(c)Drosera
(d)Saracennia

Answer 1

Hint: A carnivorous plant that resembles Venus Flytrap in the catching mechanism should have traps that capture insects by snapping shut. The plant also resembles Utricularia or the bladderwort, hence it has to be aquatic and free-floating in nature.

Complete answer:
The Aldrovanda, commonly known as waterwheel plants, is a genus of aquatic carnivorous plants that catch and feed on small aquatic invertebrates. The traps of the plants are arranged in whorls around a central and free-floating stem.
- The snap traps of the plant are formed of two lobes and are similar to the ones observed in Venus Flytrap, only much smaller. The traps are protected by bristles.
- The plant belongs to the family Droseraceae that consist of the Drosera, the Dionaea, and the Aldrovanda.

Additional Information: Pinguicula or butterworts are carnivorous plants that use their sticky and glandular leaves to attract and entrap insects. The secretions contain enzymes to digest the insect glued on the leaf and absorb all the parts except the chitinous exoskeleton.
- Drosera or the sundews are carnivorous plants that have tentacles on the surface of their leaves that give out sticky secretions to attract and trap insects on their surface. The insect gets attracted to the sweet smell of the secretion and is stuck and digested by enzymes in a similar way as Pinguicula.
- Saracennia, commonly known as trumpet pitchers are carnivorous plants that have leaves evolved into a pitcher or funnel shape to trap insects. The plant attracts insects from its secretions (nectaries) and the insects fall inside the pitcher due to their slippery surface, getting digested and consumed.

So, the correct answer is ‘Aldrovanda’.

Note:
 - The genus Aldrovanda has only one species that is alive and the rest are extinct.
- Carnivorous plants grow in plants with low-nutrient soil to obtain their food from insects and small animals and gain their energy from photosynthesis.
- The basic trapping mechanisms in these plants are pitfall traps, flypaper traps, snap traps, bladder traps, and lobster-pot traps.