4 ms·
Not a geneticist or a botanist here, but I would assume that because it is carnivorous, it gains a particular set of nutrients from the fruit flies and thus doe
by IntrepidWorm 5y ago
Not a geneticist or a botanist here, but I would assume that because it is carnivorous, it gains a particular set of nutrients from the fruit flies and thus does not need to absorb these compounds through the root system. The gene or set of genes responsible for processing nutrients through the root would thus not be needed and would eventually be deactivated or disappear entirely over the evolution of the species.
- iammisc 5y agoCarnivorous plants turn carnivorous because they can't get enough nitrogen from the soil usually. Thus, in these populations, it's likely that the additional genes favoring carnivory evolved first and then, with that in place, the genes for nitrogen absorption would not confer any advantage or disadvantage so would be slowly lost by genetic drift.