Guest Decapod73 Posted April 1, 2006 Posted April 1, 2006 Hoffentlich ist dies nicht ein wiederpostung, aber Barry Rice hat etwas ganz interresant im Terraforums gepostet! (obwohl ich muss wundern, ob es alles nur ein April-Fools joke ist... hoffentlich nicht) http://www.terraforums.com/ib312/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=14;t=23752;st=0 post 1: Hey Folks, Well I've got some extremely interesting news. Now, before I spill the beans on this I want to emphasize that nothing has been proven (or disproved!) yet, but I have to say that so far this is very interesting. Several weeks ago I was contacted by the project leader for botanical assessments from the team of scientists that were exploring the "Lost World" area of New Guinea. She wanted to know about carnivory in the Pedaliaceae. I told her that the only plant in this family even remotely considered being carnivorous is Ibicella lutea, which until relatively recently was considered to be in the family Martyniaceae. We discussed the matter in several emails (and one rather expensive phonecall!) until she finally came clean with me that they have discovered what appears to be a remarkable and novel form of carnivory, apparently in an as-yet-undescribed genus. What makes this so interesting (for me, at least) is that while the plants (apparently) use mucilage to digest the prey, the mucus on the leaves is not used to retain prey. Instead, the plant is covered with many short silicaceous hairs that are extremely minutely barbed. This is not a flypaper plant so much as a pincushion plant! It's not clear if this plant preferentially preys upon soft-bodied organisms or what. ALSO, remember that until radio-isotope studies are carried out on this plant, it will not be known if nutrients are actually translocated into the plant. However, in terms of the carnivorous syndrome, this plant demonstrates aspects of "Attracting", "Retaining", "Killing", and almost certainly "Digesting". Absorption? Well, the leaf surface looks like it may be glossy (suggesting a thick waxy cuticle), but the leaf is supposedly more permeable near the leaf mid-rib on the upper surface. Maybe fluids are absorbed there???? Dr. Sanchez also told me that this plant is commonly associated with disturbed habitats (animal trails, etc.). It produces many burr-like seeds so probably uses animals as a dispersal mechanism. All this suggests that, like many trailside plants, it would probably be very easy to grow. Unfortunately, because of the possible pending status of the site (I think it might be designated a globally-important bioreserve) seeds are not likely to be available anytime soon. A couple of other quick notes from my conversations. 1)No news of leaf motion. 2)No observations of flowers, just fruit. 3)Expect to see publication of the new name in a journal like TAXON. Dr. Sanchez doesn't mind the photos being released because her team is the only group of people with specimens for herbarium specimens! So she can't get "scooped" so doesn't mind the news going around. I'll keep everyone posted as much as I can. Unfortunately, I'm travelling right now, and will be spending 2-9 April in Texas (I'll be hooking up with Mike Howlett for some field trips!). Talk to you later! Barry pic: http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/temp/species234a.jpg Post 2: Barry is preparing for his trip, so he asked me to post this.I have a very exciting update on these plants. Barry said he has been on the phone all day today. They have been testing this plant extensively since the expedition. THEY HAVE CONFIRMED IT TO BE CARNIVOROUS!! That's not the only thing either. The leaf shows motion. The leaves curl up entirely in an astonishing 25 seconds---even the longest leaves, which are more than six inches long. This was not noticed before because the activity only occurs at night. Evening-foraging insects, especially soft-bodied centipedes, are the main prey. When the prey is in the center of the leaf, Barbs are shot through the hairs into the victim. With the victim unable to escape, the leaf begins to roll up. As the victim comes in contact with each hair it too fires, until the victim is secured by hundreds of barbs. It then injects the victim with the digestive fluid, causing an almost instant death. The triggers are still unknown. The news gets better. They have finalized a conservancy plan. The team has dug up all the plants found at the site. They felt that with the new discoveries this plant was in danger of being lost as the area is logged and settled. They decided that the plants are much safer with the cp growers than at the site. If in the future, the laws are changed and the site is listed as a preserve the plants will be reintroduced back into the wild. Eighty percent of the plants have been shipped to Barry. They should arrive early next week. Barry was asked to distribute them as he sees fit. He only wants these plants to go to serious growers only. So to insure that, there will be a $350 fee for each plant. Since Barry is out of town he asked me to take the orders. We don't know how many plants are on the way, so they will be distributed first come first serve. If you are interested send me an email at voodoodancer@gmail.com. Your name will be put on the list. The plants will be sent out as soon as Barry receives your money and your check clears.
Siggi_Hartmeyer Posted April 2, 2006 Posted April 2, 2006 Wenn ich mir die Details einmal genau vor Augen führe, mag ich ja als Skeptiker dastehen, aber mein Kommentar lautet erst einmal: Congratulations to Barry, this is the best 1. April joke that I read during the last years. (Gratulation an Barry, dies ist der beste Aprilscherz den ich in den letzten Jahren gelesen habe.) Den ganzen Standort ausgraben um die sensationellen Pflanzen für 350 Euro weltweit an jeden Erstbietenden zu verhökern, kann ja wohl niemand ernsthaft glauben, der den seriösen Barry Rice kennt. Wer aber seinen Vortrag zum "Buffet Banquet" der ICPS Konferenz in San Francisco erlebt hat kennt auch seinen ausgeprägten Humor. Ich kann mir ein Schmunzeln nicht verkneifen, wenn ich mir sein Gesicht vorstelle, wärend er hoch vergnügt die sicher eintreffenden Vorbestellungen sichtet :lol::lol:8-)
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