A carnivorous pitcher plant has been found to drug its prey with a toxic nerve agent before trapping and digesting it.
Nepenthes khasiana produces a sweet nectar along the rim of its pitchers that attracts insects, especially ants. Researchers have discovered this nectar contains isoshinanolone, a nerve toxin that disrupts the ants’ nervous systems, slowing their movements, weakening muscles and triggering excessive grooming. Disoriented, the insects eventually lose control, often falling upside down into the pitcher, where some die outright.
The nectar also contains three types of sugar that absorb water, making the rim extremely slippery and increasing the chance prey will slide into the trap. Once inside, the insects are broken down by digestive fluids at the bottom.
The combination of sweetness, toxins and slippery surfaces allows the plant to secure vital nutrients in the nutrient-poor soils where it grows.
