VENUS FLYTRAPS

This piece shows four Venus Flytraps, each displaying a certain stage in its feeding process (going from left to right).

It's important to notice that it's a plant and, therefore, it doesn't attract and kill insects for energy (it can get that through photosynthesis). It mines its prey for essential nutrients (e.g. nitrogen and phosphorus) that are in short supply in its moist and acidic soils. This is shown with the general amino acid drawn on top of the bee on the left-hand side; amino acids contain these essential nutrients. The Venus Flytrap does have a digestive system of sorts, but it serves a different purpose than an animal does.

First, it lures its victim with sweet-smelling nectar; this is shown with the colourful swirly lines around the first and second flytrap. If the insect touches just one trigger hair (which is inside the leaf), then essentially nothing happens. If two or more hairs are disturbed, a chemical (beta-glucopyranosyl-12-hydroxyjasmonic acid, drawn on the second flytrap in white) is released in enough concentration that causes the flytrap to close itself; this is illustrated between the second and third flytrap. The closing step takes less than a second; to show this closure in time I drew the second and third flytrap close in space too.

The release of a second chemical, jasmonic acid (chemical drawn in white on third flytrap), stimulates the release of a digestive enzyme (a protease) which can start to break down the prey. Alongside this, the pH inside the leaf starts to drop and becomes acidic; the fourth flytrap is mostly red to show this low pH; the colour is inspired by the litmus paper turning red when in contact with an acidic gas/liquid. The leaf, smartly, releases glutathione (drawn on the last flytrap), a chemical that protects the proteases from getting denatured by the acidic environment. Glutathione is drawn inside a bubble-like structure which is in the normal pH; this is shown by the bubble not being red-coloured.

Digestion of the prey takes up roughly five days; this is shown with the five suns and four moons in an arc motion.

Lastly, I wanted to address the stem that comes from the middle of the four leaves and disappears above. That's the flower stem and, since it wasn't the focus of the piece, I didn't include the flower but I wanted to acknowledge it nonetheless.

Reference for the website used for research: https://www.compoundchem.com/2018/10/16/venus-flytraps/