Carnivorous plants catch and digest tiny animals in order and derive benefits for their nutrition. Interestingly the trend towards vegetarianism seems to overcome carnivorous plants as well. The aquatic carnivorous bladderwort, which can be found in many lakes and ponds worldwide, does not only gain profit from eating little animals but also by consuming algae and pollen grains. This results in survival in aquatic habitats where prey animals are rare, and in increased fitness if the animals and algae are caught in a well-balanced diet. An Austrian research group around Marianne Koller-Peroutka and Wolfram Adlassnig published these results in the journal Annals of Botany.

The bladderworts (Utricularia) are one of the largest genera in carnivorous plants with over 200 species. Aquatic bladderworts catch their prey with highly sophisticated suction traps consisting of little bladders that produce a hydrostatic under pressure. A valve-like trap door opens upon stimulation and the surrounding water including tiny organism flushes in rapidly within three milliseconds. Once inside the trap, the prey dies of suffocation and is degraded by digestive enzymes. Due to the minerals provided by prey organisms, bladderworts are able to live and propagate even in habitats that are extremely poor in nutrients.

Animals are not the only prey

First observations on algae within the traps of bladderworts go back to 1900 but only now their role within the prey spectrum was analysed by a research team of the University of Vienna. Screening of the prey objects in more than 2,000 traps showed that only 10 % were animals whereas 50 % of the prey objects were algae. Especially in nutrient poor habitats like in peat bogs, algae were even more dominant in the prey. More than one third of the prey consisted of pollen grains from trees growing on the shore areas of the home waters. However Utricularia does not seem to select its menu; in fact, it sucks in everything small enough to enter the trap door.

A well balanced diet keeps the plant healthy!

Previously, algae and pollen had been considered as useless bycatch which was accidentally sucked in together with animal prey. However, data on trapped algae and the growth of the plant as well as the formation of hibernation buds leads to a completely new insight: Utricularia plants that had trapped successfully numerous algae and pollen grains were larger and formed more biomass. More animal prey, on the other hand, leads to a higher nitrogen-content of the plant and to increased formation of hibernation buds, which is of vital importance to survive the winter period. Plants with a well balanced diet of algae and pollen, as well as animal prey were in the best shape. Thus it can be concluded that Utricularia gains specific nutrients like nitrogen mainly from animal prey whereas other nutrients like micronutrients and trace elements were derived mainly from algae and pollen.

Traps suck in without triggering

Until recently, it was assumed that suction traps have to be triggered by movements of animal prey but new studies showed that aquatic bladders do require stimulation and "fire" even if they are not stimulated for a longer time. In the natural habitat, more than 50% of all bladders contained only immotile prey like algae, pollen bacteria and fungi but no animal prey that was capable to trigger and open the trap. Thus, prey capture without external stimulation is crucial for these plants.

Aquatic bladderworts are able to gain benefit by catching all kind of prey organisms. Only for this reason, Utricularia is able to survive and even propagate in habitats that are only sparsely populated by animals. Algae and pollen as well as animal prey differ in mineral nutrients as well as other compounds. A well balanced diet therefore provides a wider range of nutrients that can be utilised by this unique carnivorous plant.

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A vegetarian carnivorous plant

A photo obtained by the QT shows fast bowler Ishant Sharma, batsman Virat Kohli and Indian Photo: Supplied

THE Indian cricket team has eaten a vegetarian lunch provided by Indian Mehfil restaurant on the Vulture St footpath after being dissatisfied with the food on offer inside the Gabba.

The QT understands there was some dispute over the official lunch for the Indians on day three of the Second Test.

A source told the QT that there "wasn't enough vegetarian food to go around" and the players insisted on eating the food from Indian Mehfil.

"The team came outside and ate on the footpath outside gate five because the protocols are that you can't bring food in to the ground," a source told the QT.

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"There was a half hour of negotiations by the Indian team management and lots of people were watching it."

Read more on this story at the Queensland Times.

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Indian cricketers eat out after Gabba food fails to appeal

Many of us have dreams of ditching our stable, secure careers in order to pursue artistic dreams, but few of us pluck up the courage to do it.

Three years ago, Melbourne-based graphic designer Gavin Aung Than was looking for a way out of his comfortable but boring office job.

"I worked a regular nine-to-five and I'd been doing that for many years and it was really unsatisfying," he told 7.30.

"I had always kind of had this idea to be a professional cartoonist and I've always been scribbling. I was always that kid at the back of the classroom doodling away."

Mr Than realised he wanted to use his talents to help people, and came up with the idea of using quotes from famous thinkers, artists and leaders as the basis for a comic on the internet.

"It could be someone like Albert Einstein, Mark Twain or someone more current like Malala Yousafzai," he said.

The idea for Zen Pencils was born, but Gavin had a problem.

He could not hold down his day job and work on Zen Pencils, so inspired by the quotes he loved he took a leap of faith of his own.

"Looking back on it now, I don't know what I was thinking to be honest, because I don't know if I would do it again. But yeah, I just decided to quit," he said.

He did not only quit. He and his wife Jessica Ong sold their house to pursue his dream of drawing a comic full-time.

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Zen Pencils: Gavin Aung Than becomes comic star after trading in job, house to pursue dreams

Games are supposed to be fun -- there's no denying that. Most games played have some sort of objective, be it shooting bad guys, racing against a clock, or beating other players at obtaining an objective. But some of the best games are the ones that are designed to be fun with no pressure, no competition, and no clocks. One such game, that utilizes a touch screen as more than a keyboard, is Zen Bound 2, by developer Secret Exit.

At its core, Zen Bound 2 is strangely cathartic. The player is given a statue and a set length of rope, and it is up to the player to wrap the statue in the rope. For as simple as it is, the game requires a little bit of thinking or fiddling to get the levels right, but never at any point does the game feel frustrating or tiresome.

Players swipe to spin the statue around, aiming the rope carefully where they would like it to wrap. Once the statue is entwined, the player ties off the knot around a glowing nail and moves to the next level. The levels start off easy, and get progressively more difficult, but it should be noted that this game wasn't designed to be hard, but rather relaxing.

Zen Bound 2 is inherently soothing to play, with a calm atmosphere and down-tempo, 45-minute sound track. The 3D models and lighting are stunning, and there are over 100 levels of play to enjoy. Zen Bound 2 is designed for iPad and iPhone, and costs $3.

Who Zen Bound 2 is for: Players looking for a casual, relaxed game to enjoy

Who Zen Bound 2 isn't for: Anyone who wants a game with high-stress objectives with deep consequences for failure.

by MacNN Staff

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Hands On: Zen Bound 2 (iOS)