資料來源 國家地理雜誌
Worm-Eating Plant Found—Kills via Underground Leaves
Scientists have solved an underground mystery: Why does a plant that survives on sunlight grow leaves beneath the earth?
科學家一直想要了解，植物為何在地下長出葉子？如今有科學家解決這個謎團
Flowering plants of the genus Philcoxia are the only known plants with the "awkward" feature of subterranean leaves, said Rafael Oliveira, a plant biologist at the State University of Campinas in Brazil.
Campinas大學的植物科學家Oliveira提出Philcoxia這一屬植物的地下葉生長是與眾不同的
Oliveira's new research sheds new light on the oddity, showing that the leaves act as traps for tiny roundworms, or nematodes. This worm food is vital for the plant's survival in the nutrient-deprived savannas of central Brazil.
Oliveira新研究發現，葉片會製造陷阱來使蛔蟲、線蟲，這種蟲類的食物在巴西中部營養缺乏的疏林是很重要的！
Plants may seem "boring for some people, because they don't move or actively hunt for their food," Oliveira said by email.
But "they have evolved a number of fascinating solutions to solve common problems, such as the lack of readily available nutrients or water."
植物對於某些人來說是很無趣的，因為植物不會動，也不捕食
但是對於自然環境而言，植物解決了營養缺乏跟水份缺乏等問題
Feeding Worms to Plants
Oliveira and colleagues had suspected that Philcoxia plants may be carnivorous, because their sandy habitats and their physical features—such as poorly developed root systems—resemble those of known carnivorous plants. The team had also recently observed roundworms on the plants' subterranean leaves.
Oliveira團隊猜測，Philcoxia這屬植物可能會變成食蟲植物，
因為它們跟多數的食蟲植物一樣,生活在沙地的環境，地下根系也不發達
研究觀察也發現植物地下葉上出現蛔蟲
To test their hypothesis, the researchers bred nematodes in nitrogen, a marker that would allow the scientists to know if the plant indeed digests worms.
The team then "fed" the nematodes to plants in the lab, and harvested their leaves 24 and 48 days later. A chemical analysis revealed nitrogen from the worms had been incorporated into the plant's leaves.
為了證實他們的假說，
他們利用氮標定法來測試植物是否捕食蛔蟲
並且利用這些食物餵食這些植物，
收取他們第24天與48天後的葉子，分析後發現，實驗標記用的氮進入植物體內
The results add up to the first evidence of a carnivorous plant with specific adaptations for trapping and eating roundworms, he added.
這結果第一次證實食蟲植物有特殊的適應方式，也會捕食蛔蟲
More Killer Plants Out There?
Only 0.2 percent of flowering plant species are known to digest meat. (See pictures of killer plants.)
But "if we start to look closer at microorganisms [such as nematodes] as a prey type," Oliveira predicted, "we might find more carnivorous plants."
Many plant behaviors, he added, "operate hidden from our view."
目前科學家認定的食蟲植物只佔開花植物的0.2%，
但如果我們把捕食微小生物體的植物納入的話，我們可以發現更多
許多植物的行為其實是被人類的主觀視野限制住
The worm-eating plant study appeared this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
這個研究發表於the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences的期刊上
有興趣的人可以去查查原文
Worm-Eating Plant Found—Kills via Underground Leaves
Scientists have solved an underground mystery: Why does a plant that survives on sunlight grow leaves beneath the earth?
科學家一直想要了解，植物為何在地下長出葉子？如今有科學家解決這個謎團
Flowering plants of the genus Philcoxia are the only known plants with the "awkward" feature of subterranean leaves, said Rafael Oliveira, a plant biologist at the State University of Campinas in Brazil.
Campinas大學的植物科學家Oliveira提出Philcoxia這一屬植物的地下葉生長是與眾不同的
Oliveira's new research sheds new light on the oddity, showing that the leaves act as traps for tiny roundworms, or nematodes. This worm food is vital for the plant's survival in the nutrient-deprived savannas of central Brazil.
Oliveira新研究發現，葉片會製造陷阱來使蛔蟲、線蟲，這種蟲類的食物在巴西中部營養缺乏的疏林是很重要的！
Plants may seem "boring for some people, because they don't move or actively hunt for their food," Oliveira said by email.
But "they have evolved a number of fascinating solutions to solve common problems, such as the lack of readily available nutrients or water."
植物對於某些人來說是很無趣的，因為植物不會動，也不捕食
但是對於自然環境而言，植物解決了營養缺乏跟水份缺乏等問題
Feeding Worms to Plants
Oliveira and colleagues had suspected that Philcoxia plants may be carnivorous, because their sandy habitats and their physical features—such as poorly developed root systems—resemble those of known carnivorous plants. The team had also recently observed roundworms on the plants' subterranean leaves.
Oliveira團隊猜測，Philcoxia這屬植物可能會變成食蟲植物，
因為它們跟多數的食蟲植物一樣,生活在沙地的環境，地下根系也不發達
研究觀察也發現植物地下葉上出現蛔蟲
To test their hypothesis, the researchers bred nematodes in nitrogen, a marker that would allow the scientists to know if the plant indeed digests worms.
The team then "fed" the nematodes to plants in the lab, and harvested their leaves 24 and 48 days later. A chemical analysis revealed nitrogen from the worms had been incorporated into the plant's leaves.
為了證實他們的假說，
他們利用氮標定法來測試植物是否捕食蛔蟲
並且利用這些食物餵食這些植物，
收取他們第24天與48天後的葉子，分析後發現，實驗標記用的氮進入植物體內
The results add up to the first evidence of a carnivorous plant with specific adaptations for trapping and eating roundworms, he added.
這結果第一次證實食蟲植物有特殊的適應方式，也會捕食蛔蟲
More Killer Plants Out There?
Only 0.2 percent of flowering plant species are known to digest meat. (See pictures of killer plants.)
But "if we start to look closer at microorganisms [such as nematodes] as a prey type," Oliveira predicted, "we might find more carnivorous plants."
Many plant behaviors, he added, "operate hidden from our view."
目前科學家認定的食蟲植物只佔開花植物的0.2%，
但如果我們把捕食微小生物體的植物納入的話，我們可以發現更多
許多植物的行為其實是被人類的主觀視野限制住
The worm-eating plant study appeared this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
這個研究發表於the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences的期刊上
有興趣的人可以去查查原文
