Differential Escape of Insects from Carnivorous Plant Traps

-The escape of some insects from the of carnivorous plants depends on the type of and the body size of the insect species. Body size thresholds vary: for sticky traps of Pinguicula lutea Walt. and Drosera filiformis Raf. tracyi MacFarlane, they are 5 mm and 10 mm, respectively. In contrast, the pitfall trap of Sarracenia leucophylla Raf. retains almost all sizes of insects captured. Differential escape may have provided strong selection pressures for the evolution of large carnivorous plant species, which can insect prey of a wide range of sizes.