Some of the most spectacular examples of botanical carnivory—in which predator plants catch and digest animals presumably to supplement the nutrient-poor soils in which they grow—occur within the Droseraceae family. For example, sundews of the genus Drosera have evolved leaf movements and enzyme secretion to facilitate prey digestion. The molecular underpinnings of this behavior remain largely unknown; however, evidence suggests that prey-induced electrical impulses are correlated with movement and production of the defense hormone jasmonic acid (JA), which may alter gene expression. In noncarnivorous plants, JA is linked to electrical activity via changes in cytoplasmic Ca 2+ . Here, we find that dynamic Ca 2+ changes also occur in sundew ( Drosera spatulata ) leaves responding to prey-associated mechanical and chemical stimuli. Furthermore, inhibition of these Ca 2+ changes reduced expression of JA target genes and leaf movements following chemical feeding. Our results are consistent with the presence of a conserved Ca 2+ -dependent JA signaling pathway in the sundew feeding response and provide further credence to the defensive origin of plant carnivory.

中文翻译：

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动态钙信号介导肉食茅膏菜植物的摄食反应


一些最引人注目的植物肉食性例子——捕食性植物捕捉并消化动物，可能是为了补充它们生长的营养贫乏的土壤——出现在茅膏菜科。例如，茅膏菜属的茅膏菜已经进化出叶子运动和酶分泌以促进猎物消化。这种行为的分子基础在很大程度上仍然未知。然而，有证据表明，猎物引起的电脉冲与防御激素茉莉酸（JA）的运动和产生相关，这可能会改变基因表达。在非食虫植物中，JA 通过细胞质 Ca 2+ 的变化与电活动相关。在这里，我们发现茅膏菜 ( Drosera spatulata ) 叶子中也发生动态 Ca 2+ 变化，以响应与猎物相关的机械和化学刺激。此外，抑制这些Ca 2+ 变化可减少JA 靶基因的表达和化学饲喂后的叶片运动。我们的结果与茅膏菜取食反应中存在保守的Ca 2+ 依赖性JA信号通路一致，并为植物食肉动物的防御起源提供了进一步的证据。