Ecologists Assemble: Bladderwort in Bure Broad

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The first field trip of the year took us to Bure Broad where I came across bladderworts which are a genus of carnivorous plants. Utricularia vulgaris is the species that I viewed on the particular day.

The name utricularia is derived from the Latin utriculus which means wine flask, leather bottle or bagpipe which is assumedly referring to the plant's structure. Vulgaris, simply means 'common'. They are free-floating water plants that grow between 20-200 cm long with branched inflorescence (flower head) sitting on top of the water with the rest of the plant submerged.

Image: Jouko Lehmuskallio


Don't let the bladderwort's innocent appearance fool you, for this is a deadly plant. The structure includes many bladders sized from 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm. Initially they were thought to be flotation aids but their true purpose is now known to be traps for tiny prey swimming in the water. Their diet consists of protozoa and rotifers. As the utricularia vulgaris has a larger bladder it can consumes larger prey such as daphnia, nematodes and fish fry. These bladders are recognised to be structurally very sophisticated for their kingdom.

So, how do they actually work? Relative to the environment, the traps have negative pressure so when the bladder is mechanically triggered, they suck up the prey and the surrounding water. There are hairs in the opening to the bladder, which when brushed against by prey it will trigger this response. This process happens in the blink of an eye, in 10 to 15 milliseconds! If you're a local protozoa looking for some real estate, just don't pick the Utricularia.

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