An important part of evolution: "Why would you go to such lengths to live in such a horrible place?" "The nice places are crowded, so I can actually get a better deal here."
@@VeganAncientDragonKnight Pretty sure there's a fungus that eats radiation, There's also some fungi types that digest rocks. Oh, and some bacteria that live in empty lava tubes (still scorching hot) and feed on the chemical soup residue. Extremophiles are terrifying in concept, kind of like Humans and our Endurance Hunting but smaller scale.
I love how you broke down the process of how and why such specialized adaptations evolved, that is one of the things I find most interesting about biology and such. so few people really talk about how and why these shifts might have happened and just note what physical part turned it whatever part and then says pressures selected to get here. but when you look at what before and after is much of the change points would seem to provide no real advantage, in fact, be a hindrance till the got much closer to the fully adapted part we see now,
Yeah. It's why everything with a skeleton has four limbs max. Extra sets of stubby not-limbs offer no advantage. Limb girdles for extra pairs of limbs would obstruct organs and reduce flexibility with no immediate advantage too.
@@vitriolicAmaranth It's also why every vertebrate has a nerve that loops all the way down around the aorta back up to the larynx. Evolution can easily add a few millimeters to a nerve. Rerouting it is hard and would require a perfect storm of mutations all at once, for little or no selective advantage.
To say it adapted is in-genuine. They are no less adapting than we are. All that happened was that there were babies who were born different. Though who survived had more babies who are also different but closer in attributes to their parents than the whole specie, and so on and so. If a baby was strong, by what makes you strong in that specie, you survived more, which means your kids probably survived more, and so. Kind of like how royal families can go on for thousands of years while most family names die out after few generations. What you strong, what made that baby survive? Well it just slightly stickier than any other plants, and it had more kids who were more slightly sticker than the rest, so in an equal field it could capture food in shorter time and live longer, it was more likely to pass on its DNA. If a that plant's offspring isn't as slicky, well, that slight mutation dies out with. In a population of a 100, if everyone survives equally, they will mostly always 1% of population. But if 1 of those have disproportionate growth many times, like having more kids than the rest, continuous, that 1% grows to eventually cover 99.9999...%.
@@deepdive1338 that is adaptation, dude. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt in hoping you aren’t a creationist, but you sound like you are trying to redefine evolution and adaptation like they do.
@@lordfelidae4505 1) I wouldn't rule out creationism, after all, evolution can be considered creationism looked at on a longer time scale. 2) if adaption is reacting to your environment, this is not adaption. I would be hard pressed to say anything adaptes as such. I think we can talk about which organisms are well adapted and which are not, but I don't think they actually adapt. At most they respond physically to stimuli but mostly it's pure chance mutation
The main ingredient in meat tenderizers is bromelain which comes from pineapple leaves. I can see how it wouldn't be much of a jump to evolve to be a meat eater.
They say the pineapple fruit contains enzymes that try and digest you even as you digest it. It seems the whole plant is built to digest animals, and in evolutionary terms, it’s probably quite close to doing so.
UwU plant-senpai, digest me with your enzymes ! I want to fully become a part of you ! I want to feel your acidic juices breaking me apart and being processed as food by your mighty cells. The only thing a fly like me would aspire to be... oh wait. Plant-senpai died of cringe because of me ! Perfect. My plan worked. -- flies away
PBS Eons did the same topic 5 days ago. Same title, but Meat Eaters became Carnivores.They copied him! Heh. See: ruclips.net/video/aGJ7tg0ifmo/видео.html
Surprised you did not mention a bit of a caveat these plants need to pull off the utilization of their traps; they need ample sunlight and water to make up the extra sugars and digestive enzymes (if employed - there are a couple that just rely on bacteria or digestion by proxy) to capture and break down prey. Fortunately these are plentiful in the bogs and seeps they inhabit, since the waterlogged, acidic conditions that make nitrates and phosphates hard to come by keeps larger, shade casting plants from competing for light.
@@danielkrajicek5323 They need MORE light because of the adaptations! Unlike photosynthesis, carnivory does not supply these plants with any energy (sugar), only nutrients, so it's soil and fertilizer that they need less of. However, all methods of trapping prey consume "extra" energy, which needs to come from photosynthesis.
@@phoneguy4637 I was not trying to say that they do not need light, neither that they dont thrive on great light. I understand that if you want to grow them like you said, so they are big and strong, they need much light just like most of plant species. I was just trying to say that in nature, they can survive (not thrive) with not much sunlight, right? That is why they grow in areas where most plants cannot survive, that is part of their adaptation, they dont stretch for light as much as other plants do, nor do they grow in the brightest light, am I not correct? Thanks for your comments guys.
Daniel Krajíček the bulk of carnivorous plants are not shade-tolerant; they require more light than many other plants in their respective ranges and are only able to handle competition among even bog grasses when low nutrient levels and flooding exclude them or fire/frost clears them. Sarracenia populations, in particular, are aided by low temperature fires for this reason. The production of extra sugar for attracting and capturing prey - plus digestive enzymes for all but the facultative carnivores - require more sunlight. There are a couple of species that are capable of bolting in lower light (you see it in longer internodes in Nepenthes vines), but plants that grow from a compact rosette or submerged rhizome are not really equipped to bolt for sunlight in shaded conditions. They will, however, bend in phototropism and produce fewer anthocyanin pigments when sun-starved, like most plants. On the whole, most genera of carnivorous plants need to grow in clearings, but fortunately the conditions that pressure plants into developing adaptations to capture prey for nutrients also keep shade-casting competition at bay.
Alpha Centauri - when someone makes an excellent, comprehensive yet concise informative video like this, but doesn’t address something that people unfamiliar with these plants frequently get wrong, people are allowed to be surprised by things. Each moment in the video when I started thinking “nice, but what about...” the creator addressed it fluidly, so omissions are worth remarking upon. Any collector/grower of carnivorous plants is very aware of their need for ample light, so it popped out as being left out, however unnecessary or otherwise it may have been to include.
aside from being a really interesting topic, i think this is one of your better videos in terms of the pacing and rhythm of the narration. made 10 minutes feel like about 2 👍
I love how everything in nature build upon what already exists- I know it is obvious but before you learn or understand evolution it all seems random or unique.
Yes! I feel like plant evolution is way underrated! I live on a tropical island that doesn't have a lot of animals so I spend most of my time outdoors viewing plants, and the diversity amazes me every day! I have so many questions and ideas about their evolution but there are so few channels that are willing to talk about them in detail. We need more videos that show how exciting and detailed the world and interactions of plants are!
@@bookerrobinson5679 absolutely! Plants never cease to amaze, they have the most incredible mechanisms since they (mostly) don't have behaviour to get around problems What's that island you live on?
@@Jeuro38 I live in Puerto Rico. There are non native snakes, iguanas, and rats. But other than them the wild life is mainly small birds and the occasional bird of prey.
PBS Eons did the same topic 5 days ago. Same title, but Meat Eaters became Carnivores.They copied him! Heh. See: ruclips.net/video/aGJ7tg0ifmo/видео.html
I really like the way you speak, because you speak clearly and easy to understand, which makes more complex videos like this more accessible for young non-natives like me :) Great video, I totally understood the matter and it was really interesting!
To be honest, even if they human sized they would not be that big of a threat. Man would use their talent for wiping things out of existence to do just that.
@@zorkmid1083 Chompers can goop their prey and have a powerful bite that can rival alligators so we can put up a fight. Although Chompers won't win a war against humans, we are limited in offense so I will give you that.
@@chillycoldchomper9389 Alligators were not a thread to mankind even in prehistoric times. Once we discovered the use of fire, we'd likely eradicated them all, unless they were somehow useful to us by attracting prey for us, in which case we would've domesticated them.
Technically yes and but technically no. They don't digest anything but they do tangle up sheep and those sheep will starve to death become fertilizer for the bramble.
@@LimeyLassen it's not coincidence however as they have hooks that curve inward, almost like they're designed to snatch and tangle prey, as opposed to ordinary defensive thorns which would just stick straight outward
Last year I sowed some Teasel seeds, which are now in flower. This was the first time I had a really good look at them, noticing that where the leaves join the stems, there's a deep pocket of water. looking inside, the water was full of drowned bugs, looked up the possibility of Teasel being carnivorous - and discovered that Charles Darwin's son had thought along the same lines. I doubt plants stop evolving, even when they have such a clever system as the Venus FlyTrap or the Pitcher. I wonder what the descendants of my Teasels will do?
Do an entire series on strange plants. Include dodders, rafflesia, manchineels, the Australian gympie, all those kinds of things. Also include the crypto plant the man eating tree of Madagascar.
Finally, I found a person who REALLY SHOWS how the evolution of predatory plants took place. I watched so many videos on this topic and every time I seemed to waste my time. Thanks.
@@jakobraahauge7299 Yeah it was supposed to be the next to come out after Seven Worlds One Planet. All about plants and narrated by good ol' David. Should be interesting when it eventually drops.
Great subject, the venus fly trap is native to the wetland parts of my state and I've got one growing on my back deck in a small pot. It catches so many insects that I rarely see an open trap. Thanks for providing real, interesting, educational content!
I have a Venus Fly Trap in my kitchen. I'm 73 and like unique things that do something and don't just sit there. She's lovely and better than a fly swatter and now I know her unique back ground.
I got a Sarracenia pitcher plant at Christmas, after looking up how to care for it, the great algorithm in the sky deemed it necessary to suggest to me this video. I've been subbed to Moth Light for about a year now. Every now & again the algorithm will push me a ML video I haven't seen before & they're always very interesting. Finally the algorithm has given me something mildly useful, but still interesting.
I LOVE when you include simple and easy-to-understand explanations of how something had to have evolved to become what it is and describe the kinds of steps that would have been necessary for the organism to evolve to have its specific features. I notice that this is a constant problem for people who question or deny the fact of evolution and these kinds of videos help so much to leave nothing unanswered. Cheers to everyone involved in writing & creating them!
Plants are always left on the side when making evolution videos, yet they have the most amazing evolutionary adaptations, like how unrelated plants converge on the same trunk, leaves , or fruit shap etc....
I live in southeast Australia and we have the words highest diversity of carnivorous plants. The most common are the sundews. It was nice to hear someone mention Australian plants as some of our flora is ingeniously complicated and beautiful.
Thorn bushes are definitely a type of trap plant too. Backwards facing thorns let you get in and keep you from getting out. Sheep herders could easily lose strays to them. They get trapped in the coat, die, and their nutrients enriches the ground; feeding the bush.
Was considering subbing and then saw this video. I can't resist a video on carnivorous plants...so subbed. I really struggled fully grasping how things evolved so extremely but you showing the likely process really helped along with the diagrams. It's so fasinating the differences in species, the similarities and the whole evolution timeline.
Absolutely wonderful video. I love all of your videos, but as a carnivorous plant grower with an intense interest in their evolution this video was especially awesome. Though I didn’t learn much new (again, I’ve done lots of research) this was the best short video I’ve ever seen on the subject and I will be sharing it as I spread my love for these carnivores!
The glue in a venus fly trap is still in use. It's what sticks the traps 2gether after it catches something. Thoroughly enjoyed this video 👍 evaluation of plants fascinate me 😀 thanks
PBS Eons did the same topic 5 days ago. Same title, but Meat Eaters became Carnivores.They copied him! Heh. See: ruclips.net/video/aGJ7tg0ifmo/видео.html
1:34 At first I was very surprised to learn that they get no energy out of it, but then I realized it made a lot of sense. If they WERE getting energy out of eating, that'd mean they'd have developed mitochondria, and that's a WAY bigger step than they'd be able to take.
As mentioned, plants have mitochondria, they respire and produce CO2. They actually produce half the CO2 released by land-dwelling living beings, and have done so longer than animals even exist. The answer to your question is that carnivorous plants DO get energy out of their prey (why would they waste it?) - it's just a net loss, at least when considering the lower rate of photosynthesis (which is why they only live where sunlight is abundent anyways) and the investments made in all the necessary adaptations and their upkeep.
very good video, it is the only video that really explains how it was, or it could have been, the evolution of these plants; and the graphic support is excellent, great video in every aspect :D
He kinda did though? Sticky leaves that retract on the top when touched were better at holding prey because even a slight bend would increase the amount of sticky material holding the prey in place, and more of a bend and a faster bend continued to offer more of an advantage as it would secure prey more effectively while ensuring larger animals didn't steal it. In time some of these plants were so well adapted to snapping shut quickly and wholly enclosing prey that the stickiness was basically a vestigial (obsolete or redundant) feature and became less apparent, hence venus flytraps.
@@noahway13 All of the plant's functions are coded into the plant's DNA. The DNA stores a literal computer program that builds-up the mechanisms that enable the plant to function the way it does. It is impossible for the plant to gain any of its functions through a series of slight, random modifications. You'll just end up with a dead plant.
Yo, I‘m studying biology and I like your content. I‘d like to add some info to the plant which had a rat inside at the beginning. My botanics professor likes to talk about them they actually feed off the dump these rodents put into the plant, which is nutrient-rich at least for the plants. The dead rat found inside was either an accident or its even fake news.;)
Its not a fake news, its surprising the ammount of case known. Attenboroughii and rajah are known from nature but it happened dozens of times in botanical gardens and in specialised nursery like borneo exotics or Exotica plants. Indeed, its always a mistake by the rodents
It's not too uncommon for small rodents and birds to end up in a large nepenthes pitcher. Some may even be specialised for it, looking at their size. Some Nepenthes species are better at catching ants, some are adabted for attracting certain mammals and being used as a toilet by them. There are many different kinds.
Every now and again the RUclips algorithm suggests me a great channel that I wish I knew about forever Def subscribed will go through your channel mostly audibly in the next few weeks
Great video, really enjoyed it and learned a lot, especially regarding how these plants came to be so heavily modified and how more primitive carnivorous plants show what these intermediate stages might have looked like. But I think you meant that the trap apparatus is 'homologous' to the leaves of other plants with the the vein being the hinge? I'm not knit-picking, I'm just genuinely interested in the nuances of homology and analogy, and wanted to know if I was missing something. Thank you!
Even bramble bushes are known to trap animals as big as sheep here in the UK. The hapless beasts die and rot to nourish the soil under the brambles. While not truly carnivorous, the brambles still benefit from the animals they trap.
I love this...i always thought bromeliads were similar to pitcher plants in terms of gaining nutrients. Im so happy someone is talking about plant evolution.
Very high quality video. The only criticism is, I would've liked to see the process these highly sophisticated bladder traps undergo to catch it's pray, maybe accompanied by a video of it in action.
I found utricularia last year in one of the lakes (probably saw it many times before but never paid any attention to it) and I really liked the flowers of it. They are not big but still, very beautiful. I wanted to take it to my pond and when I was pulling it out of the water, I heard a popping sound that confuses the hell out of me. I noticed that this plant had something that looked like a small snails attached to it and I thought they somehow close their shells when out of the water. I didn't take a closer look and was like "heck no, plant is nice but ain't taking all the snails with it". Later that day I decided to google what plant it was and it just stunned me when I found out that those weren't snails 😅
Really awesome and informative video, I don't know much about carnivorous plants or their evolution, and watching your video really filled in some of the gaps for me so thanks! :) One thing I do want to mention though is that the plant @ 6:09 in the video could be a member of Pinguicula (also called Butterworts) I'm not 100% sure but I think they're a separate family from Drosera (Sundews). Butterworts do act very similarly to the Sundews in how they catch their prey, except the Butterworts are much more basic. Instead of being able to wrap the leaf around the insect, like the mighty Sundew can, they release a mucus like substance that encases the insect, more mucus is released the more the insect moves, only some are able to bend their leaves and even those that can, failed in gymnastics and can only bend the edge very slightly. I'm not sure what anyone else's thoughts are but maybe the Drosera are just highly evolved Butterworts? or maybe I'm just an idiot who doesn't understand anything about carnivorous plants...who knows All my info about Butterworts was taken from here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinguicula P.S Good on you for reading this far, stay awesome you funky little fuzznuzzle
Excellent, very informative video on a subject I'd never thought much about before, but once you started I was fascinated and eager to know more. This would've convinced me to subscribe, if I wasn't already a subscriber!
Wooo now everything makes sense. I was wondering how the Flytraps evolved, but if they descended from other carnivorous plants, that simplifies things by a lot
The Waterwheel is more commonly known in the aquarium trade as Bladderwort. A plant that rgows small empty bladders which when triggered by living food touching the trap hairs on the bladder, will cause the bladder to open with a vaccuum suction inhaling the living prey, usually copopods, daphnia, amphipods, other small crustaceans, and fish fry.
I'm afraid you're mistaken. The whaterwheel plant does not use a vacuum bladder to capture it's prey. It does indeed use a snap trap (sometimes called a bear trap) to catch prey. It is an entirely different mechanism from bladderworts.
An important part of evolution:
"Why would you go to such lengths to live in such a horrible place?"
"The nice places are crowded, so I can actually get a better deal here."
The 1 evolutionary trick social engineers don’t want you to know!
mmo overcrowded maps in a nutshell.
Ahh yes the wise bird from avatar.
you're not very bright are you?
@@David-yv8zk ya wanna get the crono virus
everybody gangsta till the salad bites back
Even the salad eats meat
🤣🤣🤣
🤣🤣🤣🥗💀
@@lofiseeker1790 thats how you end veganism
@@VeganAncientDragonKnight Pretty sure there's a fungus that eats radiation, There's also some fungi types that digest rocks. Oh, and some bacteria that live in empty lava tubes (still scorching hot) and feed on the chemical soup residue.
Extremophiles are terrifying in concept, kind of like Humans and our Endurance Hunting but smaller scale.
“I’m tired of drinking water. I wanna CHEW!”
Lmaoooo, I watched that video after I watched this one
CalebCity
I immediately thought of CalebCity when I read the title of the vid 😂
you CRAY-Z! YOU cray-Z! YOU cray-Z!
🤣
I really like when the evolution process is explained like this
Yea definitely a lot better then that tier list guy who ruined the super smash bro’s vibe
Manne Cheeseling People may get the wrong idea about the evolutionary process with tier zoo tho
@@televikkuntdaowuxing Maybe? but that's on them, the concept of tierzoo shouldn't disappear because people are relentlessly stupid.
Explained? Seemed very vague.
@@noahway13 just add "milions and milions of years" and there you go the magical words that "explains" everything.
3:13 RIP the homie, died from a single drop of water.
There was a Kurzgesagt video that explained why this happens. ruclips.net/video/f7KSfjv4Oq0/видео.html
You act like water isn’t a quicksand-like deathtrap for all terrestrial animals that size.
Didn't that happen in Naruto?
@@michaelmccarty1327 its too small and weak to break the surface tension of water so its stuck in there
@@Villosa64 yeah imagine getting stuck in a thick liquid bubble you cant break the surface of.. terrifying
I love how you broke down the process of how and why such specialized adaptations evolved, that is one of the things I find most interesting about biology and such.
so few people really talk about how and why these shifts might have happened and just note what physical part turned it whatever part and then says pressures selected to get here. but when you look at what before and after is much of the change points would seem to provide no real advantage, in fact, be a hindrance till the got much closer to the fully adapted part we see now,
Yeah. It's why everything with a skeleton has four limbs max. Extra sets of stubby not-limbs offer no advantage. Limb girdles for extra pairs of limbs would obstruct organs and reduce flexibility with no immediate advantage too.
@@vitriolicAmaranth It's also why every vertebrate has a nerve that loops all the way down around the aorta back up to the larynx. Evolution can easily add a few millimeters to a nerve. Rerouting it is hard and would require a perfect storm of mutations all at once, for little or no selective advantage.
To say it adapted is in-genuine. They are no less adapting than we are. All that happened was that there were babies who were born different. Though who survived had more babies who are also different but closer in attributes to their parents than the whole specie, and so on and so. If a baby was strong, by what makes you strong in that specie, you survived more, which means your kids probably survived more, and so. Kind of like how royal families can go on for thousands of years while most family names die out after few generations. What you strong, what made that baby survive? Well it just slightly stickier than any other plants, and it had more kids who were more slightly sticker than the rest, so in an equal field it could capture food in shorter time and live longer, it was more likely to pass on its DNA. If a that plant's offspring isn't as slicky, well, that slight mutation dies out with. In a population of a 100, if everyone survives equally, they will mostly always 1% of population. But if 1 of those have disproportionate growth many times, like having more kids than the rest, continuous, that 1% grows to eventually cover 99.9999...%.
@@deepdive1338 that is adaptation, dude. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt in hoping you aren’t a creationist, but you sound like you are trying to redefine evolution and adaptation like they do.
@@lordfelidae4505 1) I wouldn't rule out creationism, after all, evolution can be considered creationism looked at on a longer time scale.
2) if adaption is reacting to your environment, this is not adaption. I would be hard pressed to say anything adaptes as such. I think we can talk about which organisms are well adapted and which are not, but I don't think they actually adapt. At most they respond physically to stimuli but mostly it's pure chance mutation
The main ingredient in meat tenderizers is bromelain which comes from pineapple leaves. I can see how it wouldn't be much of a jump to evolve to be a meat eater.
Venus fly traps are very difficult to keep alive.
@@sylamy7457really? I've never had trouble with them. As long as they stay moist, plenty of sun and 0 fertilizer, they even flower!
VERY interesting connection that you've made there!
@ֆ ɨ ʍ ɨ օ ռ Ya I figured out how they died, they were fed miracle grow
They say the pineapple fruit contains enzymes that try and digest you even as you digest it. It seems the whole plant is built to digest animals, and in evolutionary terms, it’s probably quite close to doing so.
„Only their traps don’t suck“
They are trying their best 😔
UwU plant-senpai, digest me with your enzymes ! I want to fully become a part of you ! I want to feel your acidic juices breaking me apart and being processed as food by your mighty cells. The only thing a fly like me would aspire to be... oh wait. Plant-senpai died of cringe because of me ! Perfect. My plan worked. -- flies away
@@myrmyxo that was so cringey it reverted back to being funny, lol
I wanna give a like but your at 69
Can't suck? That really sucks.
myrmyxo How did I survive reading this?
That must suck falling in and then realizing there is no way out
kinda like a marriage with kids.
@@Pragma020 more like Toy Story 3
Omg is that the real gutenburg?!?
@gaoGaosaurus awesomeness Who else would it be?
@Mitch Lang Yeah probably
You're the only place that's explained to me how the actual evolutionary process made these plants. It makes so much sense now. Thank you
I’ve been waiting for someone to make plant evolution videos
Not exactly in the same format but if you like plants "crime pays but botany doesnt" is a great channel
Tree evolution is under appreciated, I actually made a video ab it cause I saw that no one else had yet
PBS Eons did the same topic 5 days ago. Same title, but Meat Eaters became Carnivores.They copied him! Heh. See:
ruclips.net/video/aGJ7tg0ifmo/видео.html
Yeah idk why they are so forgotten
Surprised you did not mention a bit of a caveat these plants need to pull off the utilization of their traps; they need ample sunlight and water to make up the extra sugars and digestive enzymes (if employed - there are a couple that just rely on bacteria or digestion by proxy) to capture and break down prey. Fortunately these are plentiful in the bogs and seeps they inhabit, since the waterlogged, acidic conditions that make nitrates and phosphates hard to come by keeps larger, shade casting plants from competing for light.
@itsasin1969 Thats right, plants do thrive on light, but these dont need that much of it for survival because of the adaptations.
@@danielkrajicek5323 They need MORE light because of the adaptations! Unlike photosynthesis, carnivory does not supply these plants with any energy (sugar), only nutrients, so it's soil and fertilizer that they need less of. However, all methods of trapping prey consume "extra" energy, which needs to come from photosynthesis.
@@phoneguy4637 I was not trying to say that they do not need light, neither that they dont thrive on great light. I understand that if you want to grow them like you said, so they are big and strong, they need much light just like most of plant species. I was just trying to say that in nature, they can survive (not thrive) with not much sunlight, right? That is why they grow in areas where most plants cannot survive, that is part of their adaptation, they dont stretch for light as much as other plants do, nor do they grow in the brightest light, am I not correct? Thanks for your comments guys.
Daniel Krajíček the bulk of carnivorous plants are not shade-tolerant; they require more light than many other plants in their respective ranges and are only able to handle competition among even bog grasses when low nutrient levels and flooding exclude them or fire/frost clears them. Sarracenia populations, in particular, are aided by low temperature fires for this reason. The production of extra sugar for attracting and capturing prey - plus digestive enzymes for all but the facultative carnivores - require more sunlight.
There are a couple of species that are capable of bolting in lower light (you see it in longer internodes in Nepenthes vines), but plants that grow from a compact rosette or submerged rhizome are not really equipped to bolt for sunlight in shaded conditions. They will, however, bend in phototropism and produce fewer anthocyanin pigments when sun-starved, like most plants. On the whole, most genera of carnivorous plants need to grow in clearings, but fortunately the conditions that pressure plants into developing adaptations to capture prey for nutrients also keep shade-casting competition at bay.
Alpha Centauri - when someone makes an excellent, comprehensive yet concise informative video like this, but doesn’t address something that people unfamiliar with these plants frequently get wrong, people are allowed to be surprised by things. Each moment in the video when I started thinking “nice, but what about...” the creator addressed it fluidly, so omissions are worth remarking upon. Any collector/grower of carnivorous plants is very aware of their need for ample light, so it popped out as being left out, however unnecessary or otherwise it may have been to include.
TierZoo should do a tier list on carnivorous plants, given how relevant they are in metas with poor soil quality, like bogs.
I'm now subscribed to both channels, and waiting for the crossover.
PBS Eons did the same topic 5 days ago. Same title, but Meat Eaters became Carnivores, I think.
"I'm a vegetarian"
Plants: *Uno Reverse*
Congratulations on outsmarting Eons on this one!
And I can definitely say that your video was the best one at explaining how carnivory came about.
They’re like the vegans of the plant family.
if only they were as big as vegans then the plant could fight back
CommanderM117 now watch little shop of horrors (1986) and say that again
@@CrabMushroom FEED ME Seymour
CommanderM117 FEED ME all night long!
@@CommanderM117 plants finally rebelling against the vegans
aside from being a really interesting topic, i think this is one of your better videos in terms of the pacing and rhythm of the narration. made 10 minutes feel like about 2 👍
I love how everything in nature build upon what already exists- I know it is obvious but before you learn or understand evolution it all seems random or unique.
I've grown North American carnivorous plants for 6 years now :)
You have a love for my specious, therefore you have my respect.
Do you feed your plants North Americans
Please do more evolution of plants videos, no one else is doing this nearly as well as you.
Yes! I feel like plant evolution is way underrated!
I live on a tropical island that doesn't have a lot of animals so I spend most of my time outdoors viewing plants, and the diversity amazes me every day!
I have so many questions and ideas about their evolution but there are so few channels that are willing to talk about them in detail.
We need more videos that show how exciting and detailed the world and interactions of plants are!
@@bookerrobinson5679 absolutely! Plants never cease to amaze, they have the most incredible mechanisms since they (mostly) don't have behaviour to get around problems
What's that island you live on?
@@Jeuro38 I live in Puerto Rico.
There are non native snakes, iguanas, and rats. But other than them the wild life is mainly small birds and the occasional bird of prey.
PBS Eons did the same topic 5 days ago. Same title, but Meat Eaters became Carnivores.They copied him! Heh. See:
ruclips.net/video/aGJ7tg0ifmo/видео.html
That poor rattata didn't stand a chance when he fell in to weepingbells mouth
Victreebel
I really like the way you speak, because you speak clearly and easy to understand, which makes more complex videos like this more accessible for young non-natives like me :)
Great video, I totally understood the matter and it was really interesting!
Imagine a world of canivorous plants that just stick their prey and slowly digest them
A man of culture as well I see
To be honest, even if they human sized they would not be that big of a threat. Man would use their talent for wiping things out of existence to do just that.
Andrei Maxwell it was before the permian, during the carboniferous, when insects were large thanks to the large amount of oxygen
@@zorkmid1083 Chompers can goop their prey and have a powerful bite that can rival alligators so we can put up a fight. Although Chompers won't win a war against humans, we are limited in offense so I will give you that.
@@chillycoldchomper9389 Alligators were not a thread to mankind even in prehistoric times. Once we discovered the use of fire, we'd likely eradicated them all, unless they were somehow useful to us by attracting prey for us, in which case we would've domesticated them.
BEST EVOLUTION VIDS
I'd heard that sheep brambles are carnivorous, but on reflection that may be a legend.
Technically yes and but technically no. They don't digest anything but they do tangle up sheep and those sheep will starve to death become fertilizer for the bramble.
@@wafflemaster59 Yeah, but that could be a coincidence with domestic sheep, there's no reason to think they evolved for that purpose
Limey Lassen maybe with thousands of years of coexistence they’d become more evolved to be adept sheep killers
@@LimeyLassen it's not coincidence however as they have hooks that curve inward, almost like they're designed to snatch and tangle prey, as opposed to ordinary defensive thorns which would just stick straight outward
@@ryan.1990 that's all subjective. Personally I doubt those brambles evolved curved thorns to snare farmer's sheep.
I wonder how much farther they will evolve. Maybe in 3 million years the Venus Flytrap will have teeth made out of thorns.
More like died out. They are diying off in nature only human mades will survive the will not change
After 60 million years: PLANT-PEOPLE
Last year I sowed some Teasel seeds, which are now in flower. This was the first time I had a really good look at them, noticing that where the leaves join the stems, there's a deep pocket of water. looking inside, the water was full of drowned bugs, looked up the possibility of Teasel being carnivorous - and discovered that Charles Darwin's son had thought along the same lines.
I doubt plants stop evolving, even when they have such a clever system as the Venus FlyTrap or the Pitcher. I wonder what the descendants of my Teasels will do?
Om nom nom
Probably remian the same or be extinct.... don't forgot 99 percent of life on earth has gone.
You should do a video on flowering plants that smell like rotting meat
Do an entire series on strange plants. Include dodders, rafflesia, manchineels, the Australian gympie, all those kinds of things. Also include the crypto plant the man eating tree of Madagascar.
hey moth dont stop doing these videos man, you have a unique style. I watched all of your videos (twice) so please keep it up
"Only, their traps don't suck" priceless
Finally, I found a person who REALLY SHOWS how the evolution of predatory plants took place. I watched so many videos on this topic and every time I seemed to waste my time. Thanks.
im mad at the one venus fly trap that bent its teeth closing its mouth like you have one job
No, Just needs braces.
I mean, the trap dies after that anyways
pekaysquid not true, each trap can catch several insects before dying
@@Tatusiek_1 no it stops working after a few catches and itll just stay there for a around weeks-months and photosynthesize for the plant
Still waiting for BBC's "Green Planet" compliment to Blue Planet, guess that's gonna be postponed by CV too.
Is it in the pipeline? 😍
In the meantime you should watch 'The Private Life of Plants'.
@@malleableconcrete Thank you so much! I am going there - now! 😃💚💚💚💚
Maybe Netflix not BBC
@@jakobraahauge7299 Yeah it was supposed to be the next to come out after Seven Worlds One Planet. All about plants and narrated by good ol' David.
Should be interesting when it eventually drops.
Legit one of the best videos ive ever seen. Great explanations, great animations, great topic. I subscribed
I love this channel and was overjoyed to learn more about carnivorous plants! thank you for such accessible information!
this video makes me want to start breeding carnivorous plants until I get a marlboro.
Great subject, the venus fly trap is native to the wetland parts of my state and I've got one growing on my back deck in a small pot. It catches so many insects that I rarely see an open trap. Thanks for providing real, interesting, educational content!
I have a Venus Fly Trap in my kitchen. I'm 73 and like unique things that do something and don't just sit there. She's lovely and better than a fly swatter and now I know her unique back ground.
IM TIRED OF DRINKING WATER
I WANT TO EAT
So eat
Sublime, as always! I'm reminded of the novel The Life of Pi, in which an entire island is revealed to be a carnivorous trap.
Really boring name. What does Pi have to do with the island?
@@logicallegends1663 What are you babbling about?
chewybunz I am asking about the plot of the book and what it has to do with Pi. I’m commenting on the fact that Pi is a really boring math concept.
@@logicallegends1663 Friend...The Life of Pi, award-winning novel, Oscar -winning film. Nothing to do with mathematics! Do a bit of research!
I got a Sarracenia pitcher plant at Christmas, after looking up how to care for it, the great algorithm in the sky deemed it necessary to suggest to me this video.
I've been subbed to Moth Light for about a year now. Every now & again the algorithm will push me a ML video I haven't seen before & they're always very interesting.
Finally the algorithm has given me something mildly useful, but still interesting.
I LOVE when you include simple and easy-to-understand explanations of how something had to have evolved to become what it is and describe the kinds of steps that would have been necessary for the organism to evolve to have its specific features. I notice that this is a constant problem for people who question or deny the fact of evolution and these kinds of videos help so much to leave nothing unanswered. Cheers to everyone involved in writing & creating them!
Plants are always left on the side when making evolution videos, yet they have the most amazing evolutionary adaptations, like how unrelated plants converge on the same trunk, leaves , or fruit shap etc....
It was a lovely surprise to find that the most replayed part of the video is when the little frogs appear in the bromelia leaves :]
That was a great video. Nice to see the small steps that can lead to something so complicated as a fly trap. Never realized they were modified leaves
Nice illustration of the evolutionary process ! Also thank you for putting the references in the description.
Plants: hey evolution can I absorb nutrients from my leaves?
Evolution: for water gathering
Plants: sure. But instead they make a stomach
I live in southeast Australia and we have the words highest diversity of carnivorous plants. The most common are the sundews. It was nice to hear someone mention Australian plants as some of our flora is ingeniously complicated and beautiful.
Fly fell in, they were like, hey, I'll give it a try. It probably tastes like chicken......
I love this channel. Thank you for having the passion for science yet keeping to the facts.
Thorn bushes are definitely a type of trap plant too. Backwards facing thorns let you get in and keep you from getting out. Sheep herders could easily lose strays to them. They get trapped in the coat, die, and their nutrients enriches the ground; feeding the bush.
Was considering subbing and then saw this video. I can't resist a video on carnivorous plants...so subbed.
I really struggled fully grasping how things evolved so extremely but you showing the likely process really helped along with the diagrams.
It's so fasinating the differences in species, the similarities and the whole evolution timeline.
Wow. That was amazing. I love this kind of thing. Finding a channel like this is like striking gold 🥳
This was one of the most interesting things I've watched in the last 10 years, easy... holy shit. You earned yourself a sub.
Amazing video!!! Would love a video discussing the many different families of theropods and their evolution!
You're video style really clicks with me. I truely enjoy the way you put out information 😁
Absolutely wonderful video. I love all of your videos, but as a carnivorous plant grower with an intense interest in their evolution this video was especially awesome. Though I didn’t learn much new (again, I’ve done lots of research) this was the best short video I’ve ever seen on the subject and I will be sharing it as I spread my love for these carnivores!
The glue in a venus fly trap is still in use. It's what sticks the traps 2gether after it catches something. Thoroughly enjoyed this video 👍 evaluation of plants fascinate me 😀 thanks
You deserve awards for doing this great work
Great vid I can never find evolution vids for plants especially as good as these so I hope you do more along with regular animal evolution!
PBS Eons did the same topic 5 days ago. Same title, but Meat Eaters became Carnivores.They copied him! Heh. See:
ruclips.net/video/aGJ7tg0ifmo/видео.html
“I’m tired of drinkin, I wanna C H E W”
-Venus Flytrap
1:34 At first I was very surprised to learn that they get no energy out of it, but then I realized it made a lot of sense. If they WERE getting energy out of eating, that'd mean they'd have developed mitochondria, and that's a WAY bigger step than they'd be able to take.
all plants have mitochondria. they make the sugars they need through photosynthesis, then they use the sugars like we do.
As mentioned, plants have mitochondria, they respire and produce CO2. They actually produce half the CO2 released by land-dwelling living beings, and have done so longer than animals even exist. The answer to your question is that carnivorous plants DO get energy out of their prey (why would they waste it?) - it's just a net loss, at least when considering the lower rate of photosynthesis (which is why they only live where sunlight is abundent anyways) and the investments made in all the necessary adaptations and their upkeep.
very good video, it is the only video that really explains how it was, or it could have been, the evolution of these plants; and the graphic support is excellent, great video in every aspect :D
Plot twist, in another few dozen million years and they evolve primitive eyes, and then brains.
Gee, I can’t believe such educational content like this is free
You didn’t explain clearly that how was that motor function of leaves evolved at the first place.
This function exist in most other plants. It is not special.
He kinda did though? Sticky leaves that retract on the top when touched were better at holding prey because even a slight bend would increase the amount of sticky material holding the prey in place, and more of a bend and a faster bend continued to offer more of an advantage as it would secure prey more effectively while ensuring larger animals didn't steal it. In time some of these plants were so well adapted to snapping shut quickly and wholly enclosing prey that the stickiness was basically a vestigial (obsolete or redundant) feature and became less apparent, hence venus flytraps.
Because it *didn't* evolve and they *know* this!
@@TimothyChapman explain
@@noahway13 All of the plant's functions are coded into the plant's DNA. The DNA stores a literal computer program that builds-up the mechanisms that enable the plant to function the way it does. It is impossible for the plant to gain any of its functions through a series of slight, random modifications. You'll just end up with a dead plant.
Make a vid about arthropod evolution! I could never wrap my head around how segmented exoskeletons formed
Today is my birthday, this is an amazing gift
Yo, I‘m studying biology and I like your content.
I‘d like to add some info to the plant which had a rat inside at the beginning.
My botanics professor likes to talk about them they actually feed off the dump these rodents put into the plant, which is nutrient-rich at least for the plants.
The dead rat found inside was either an accident or its even fake news.;)
Nepenthes?
Its not a fake news, its surprising the ammount of case known. Attenboroughii and rajah are known from nature but it happened dozens of times in botanical gardens and in specialised nursery like borneo exotics or Exotica plants.
Indeed, its always a mistake by the rodents
There's a picture of a small bird stuck in a pitcher plant.
It's not too uncommon for small rodents and birds to end up in a large nepenthes pitcher.
Some may even be specialised for it, looking at their size.
Some Nepenthes species are better at catching ants, some are adabted for attracting certain mammals and being used as a toilet by them.
There are many different kinds.
Just a matter of time before this channel blows up
Great quality videos
Every now and again the RUclips algorithm suggests me a great channel that I wish I knew about forever
Def subscribed will go through your channel mostly audibly in the next few weeks
This channel keeps getting better and better
Great video, really enjoyed it and learned a lot, especially regarding how these plants came to be so heavily modified and how more primitive carnivorous plants show what these intermediate stages might have looked like. But I think you meant that the trap apparatus is 'homologous' to the leaves of other plants with the the vein being the hinge? I'm not knit-picking, I'm just genuinely interested in the nuances of homology and analogy, and wanted to know if I was missing something. Thank you!
"Mmmm, these dead bugs and frogs are tasty. What if they die F A S T E R. I need a mouth to MONCH."
super good explanations. finally some answers bout these crazy things :)
0:42 "plonk" the best vignette on RUclips!
Magnificent video, I really liked it. Thanks!
A year on this channel and still has less than 100k subs. Hope you get bigger, your content is amazing
Even bramble bushes are known to trap animals as big as sheep here in the UK. The hapless beasts die and rot to nourish the soil under the brambles. While not truly carnivorous, the brambles still benefit from the animals they trap.
That's a really interesting thought
Thanks for the video. I was just wondering this yesterday.
I love this...i always thought bromeliads were similar to pitcher plants in terms of gaining nutrients. Im so happy someone is talking about plant evolution.
Great idea for a Video @MothLight. I hope this one takes off!
Very high quality video. The only criticism is, I would've liked to see the process these highly sophisticated bladder traps undergo to catch it's pray, maybe accompanied by a video of it in action.
I found utricularia last year in one of the lakes (probably saw it many times before but never paid any attention to it) and I really liked the flowers of it. They are not big but still, very beautiful. I wanted to take it to my pond and when I was pulling it out of the water, I heard a popping sound that confuses the hell out of me. I noticed that this plant had something that looked like a small snails attached to it and I thought they somehow close their shells when out of the water. I didn't take a closer look and was like "heck no, plant is nice but ain't taking all the snails with it". Later that day I decided to google what plant it was and it just stunned me when I found out that those weren't snails 😅
Love watching you grow! Incredible video, keep up the good work
Feed me, Seymour!
Excellent way to explain the gradual evolutionary process.
your videos are very interesting and educational!
Thank you!
Unusual subject, but as always, Moth Light Media makes it interesting and cranks out facts I previously didn't know........
Love your advanced answers to often overlooked subjects
Really awesome and informative video, I don't know much about carnivorous plants or their evolution, and watching your video really filled in some of the gaps for me so thanks! :)
One thing I do want to mention though is that the plant @ 6:09 in the video could be a member of Pinguicula (also called Butterworts) I'm not 100% sure but I think they're a separate family from Drosera (Sundews).
Butterworts do act very similarly to the Sundews in how they catch their prey, except the Butterworts are much more basic. Instead of being able to wrap the leaf around the insect, like the mighty Sundew can, they release a mucus like substance that encases the insect, more mucus is released the more the insect moves, only some are able to bend their leaves and even those that can, failed in gymnastics and can only bend the edge very slightly.
I'm not sure what anyone else's thoughts are but maybe the Drosera are just highly evolved Butterworts?
or maybe I'm just an idiot who doesn't understand anything about carnivorous plants...who knows
All my info about Butterworts was taken from here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinguicula
P.S Good on you for reading this far, stay awesome you funky little fuzznuzzle
Beautiful....❤Which books do you prefer for further reading ??
This channel deserves more subs
Excellent, very informative video on a subject I'd never thought much about before, but once you started I was fascinated and eager to know more. This would've convinced me to subscribe, if I wasn't already a subscriber!
Recently started growing sareacenia, nepenthes and fly traps. Video came out a cool time haha
Very well done! Most of your videos are very good, but this was great.
Plants: "Vegetarians Have Been Eating Only Us! Now It's Time To Eat Them!"
This channel is amazing. Great video
Wooo now everything makes sense.
I was wondering how the Flytraps evolved, but if they descended from other carnivorous plants, that simplifies things by a lot
I have been growing venus flytraps, cephalotus and heliamphora on my window sill for years. Nice video
The Waterwheel is more commonly known in the aquarium trade as Bladderwort. A plant that rgows small empty bladders which when triggered by living food touching the trap hairs on the bladder, will cause the bladder to open with a vaccuum suction inhaling the living prey, usually copopods, daphnia, amphipods, other small crustaceans, and fish fry.
I'm afraid you're mistaken. The whaterwheel plant does not use a vacuum bladder to capture it's prey. It does indeed use a snap trap (sometimes called a bear trap) to catch prey. It is an entirely different mechanism from bladderworts.