Carnivorous plant evolution: is a killer defense always the best option?

Abstract

We don’t often think of plants as hunters. Yet, for a small but diverse group of flesh-eating plants, evolution has crafted them into skilled predators. Indeed, the leaves of plant carnivores have evolved snapping motions, hollow cage-like cavities, sticky secretions, and even suction power—all for the purpose of capturing small animals to provide nutrients not otherwise easily obtained from the nutrient-poor soils in which they grow. How these remarkable plants have evolved these killer abilities has long intrigued the scientific community and beyond. In this issue, Pavlovič et al. (2024) suggest that the evolutionary routes to carnivory may actually be broader than first thought.