New findings on the biomechanics and evolution of suction traps in carnivorous bladderworts

Bladderworts (Utricularia spp. Lentibulariaceae) are plants with many superlatives: They belong to the most recently evolved and also the largest genus of carnivorous flowering plants, encompassing more than 240 species. They have one of the smallest genomes known in flowering plants, have the fastest traps, are completely rootless, are distributed almost worldwide, and possess a great variety of different life forms. A team in the Plant Biomechanics Group at the Botanical Garden of the Universi