The plant that rescues the damsel in distress, is Nepenthes hemsleyana that shelters to the bats. This enormous, meat-eating pitcher plant lives in the Borneo. It has developed to communicate with bats in its unique ways.
According to a study published in the latest issue of the Journal Current Biology, this plant basically uses the bats’ own sounds. The plant communicates by means of its special structures that reflect the bats’ own ultrasonic calls right back to this flying creature.
Co-author Michael Schöner of Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald in Germany shares, the structures of these plants enable it to stand out among all the other things bats hear in that environment and so, make it easy to trace these plants. He continues saying, the bats can manage to differentiate this plant partner from all the other ones that look the same shape wise. But, they lack noticeable reflectors.
The bats poop in and around this plan and thus, keeping it well fertilized with the droppings, as confirmed by Schöner, senior author Gerald Kerth, and their colleagues.
How these carnivorous plants were so successful at drawing the attention of bats flying by towards them. This was a result of the study that investigated and found that when these bats find the Nepenthes hemsleyana, they inhabit towards the top, carefully away from the fatal digestive liquids, and take pleasure in the place that called.
When the scientists suspected that echolocation was involved, they used an artificial biomimetic bat head that emits and records ultrasounds, to test the pitcher plant’s acoustic reflectivity from different positions and angles. The experiments revealed a strong echo reflection from the plant’s back walls, where the shape works perfectly as an effective reflector.
Bats act in response to those sounds echoed back to them from the plants, according to the succeeding behavioral experiments. It is easier for bats to find partially hidden pitcher plants when their reflectors are intact rather than when the reflector had been reduced.
This analysis answered a long waited curiosity, that concluded, due to the nutrient-rich bat poop nearby, these plants do not hunt that many insects. It also found that the plants can solve complex problems without having a brain.
Schöner added that in general, carnivorous plants have a very unusual way to reverse the ‘normal system’ of animals feeding on plants as a solution to nutrient deficiency. He believes, with this plant the system is taking a new turn of reduction in various insect-attracting traits. It displayed qualities that are highly favorable for the species that provide the plants with nutrients without being eaten by the plant.
