Hunting: Common bladderwort, the world’s fastest plant. A small yellow flower protrudes from the waters surface, below however is a network of branching stems complete with small bladder-like structures. These are specialized traps, used to catch and digest prey. Inside the trap, the water has a lower pressure and when an animal moves past and touches the sensitive bristles, a valve in the bladder opens, forcing water inside along with whatever creature triggered it. The valve closes at 1/35th of a second, trapping the animal inside, this is the fastest function of any type of plant. Bladderworts will typically prey on small crustaceans, aquatic insects, nematodes and other small aquatic invertebrates, while larger species may feed on fish fry and small tadpoles as well. Having such a diet can be beneficial for a plant living in nutrient deprived environments, as it allows the plant a stable source of phosphorous and nitrogen, allowing them to thrive where other plants cannot.
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