Anda-Larisa Iosip, Sönke Scherzer, Sonja Bauer, Dirk Becker, Markus Krischke, Khaled A S Al-Rasheid, Jörg Schultz, Ines Kreuzer, Rainer Hedrich
The Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula estimates prey nutrient content by counting trigger hair contacts initiating action potentials (APs) and calcium waves traveling all over the trap.1 , 2 , 3 A first AP is associated with a subcritical rise in cytosolic calcium concentration, but when the second AP arrives in time, calcium levels pass the threshold required for fast trap closure. Consequently, memory function and decision-making are timed via a calcium clock.3 , 4 For higher numbers of APs elicited by the struggling prey, the Ca2+ clock connects to the networks governed by the touch hormone jasmonic acid (JA), which initiates slow, hermetic trap sealing and mining of the animal food stock...
February 6, 2023: Current Biology: CB