The flesh-eating Venus flytrap plant generates its own magnetic fields

Authors

  • Anna Fabricant Helmholtz Institute Mainz

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25250/thescbr.brk661

Keywords:

Venus flytrap, magnetic field, electric signals, carnivorous plant

Abstract

Each leaf of the carnivorous Venus flytrap plant ends in a jaw-like trap which imprisons unsuspecting insect prey. The traps are electrically active and produce electrical signals that trigger the trap to close around the insect. We discovered that this electrical signal also produces a measurable magnetic field.

Author Biography

Anna Fabricant, Helmholtz Institute Mainz

PhD Student

Original article reference

Fabricant, A., Iwata, G. Z., Scherzer, S., Bougas, L., Rolfs, K., Jodko-Władzińska, A., Voigt, J., Hedrich, R., & Budker, D. (2021). Action potentials induce biomagnetic fields in carnivorous Venus flytrap plants. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 1438. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81114-w

Downloads

Published

2022-10-19

Issue

Section

Plant Biology