The Reading / Listening - Venus Fly Traps - Level 5

New research suggests how carnivorous plants developed a taste for meat. A study from a university in Germany shows that small changes in the genetics of plants led to some of them becoming carnivorous. This led to the development of some of nature's most ingenious species. Carnivorous plants developed new and devious ways to snare insects. The Venus fly trap's clam-like leaves snap shut when an insect crawls between them. The pitcher plant has slippery insides that insects cannot crawl up. The sundew plant has long, sticky leaves that roll up when insects walk or fly on them.

Researchers who collaborated in the study included a computational evolutionary biologist and a plant biologist. They compared the genomes of carnivorous plants to non-carnivorous ones. They found that meat-eating plants developed from the same ancestor 60 million years ago. A researcher said: "We were able to trace the origin of carnivorous genes back to a duplication event that occurred many millions of years ago." Another researcher said: "The function of these genes is related to the ability to sense and digest animals and to utilise their nutrients."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Venus Fly Traps - Level 4 or  Venus Fly Traps - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/how-venus-flytraps-evolved-their-taste-meat
  • https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-05/uow-tcp051420.php
  • https://www.ibtimes.com/researchers-find-how-carnivorous-plants-evolved-their-meat-eating-lifestyle-2976644


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. plants developed a taste
  2. small changes in the genetics
  3. nature's most ingenious
  4. new and devious ways to snare
  5. The Venus fly trap's clam-like leaves
  6. slippery insides that insects
  7. sticky leaves that roll
  8. insects walk
  1. cannot crawl up
  2. insects
  3. or fly on them
  4. species
  5. up
  6. for meat
  7. snap shut
  8. of plants

Paragraph 2

  1. Researchers who collaborated
  2. a computational evolutionary
  3. the genomes
  4. meat-eating plants developed from
  5. We were able to trace
  6. many millions
  7. The function of these genes
  8. digest
  1. the same ancestor
  2. of years ago
  3. animals
  4. is related
  5. of carnivorous plants
  6. in the study
  7. the origin
  8. biologist

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

New research suggests how carnivorous plants (1) ___________________ for meat. A study from a university in Germany shows that small changes in the genetics of plants (2) ___________________ of them becoming carnivorous. This led to the development of some of nature's (3) ___________________. Carnivorous plants developed new and (4) ___________________ snare insects. The Venus fly trap's clam-like leaves snap shut when an insect crawls between them. The pitcher plant (5) ___________________ that insects cannot crawl up. The sundew plant has long, sticky leaves (6) ___________________ when insects walk or fly on them.

Researchers who collaborated in the (7) ___________________ computational evolutionary biologist and (8) ___________________. They compared the genomes of carnivorous plants to non-carnivorous ones. They found that meat-eating plants developed from (9) ___________________ 60 million years ago. A researcher said: "We were able to (10) ___________________ of carnivorous genes back to a duplication event that occurred many millions of years ago." Another researcher said: "The function of these (11) ___________________ to the ability to sense and digest animals and to (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Newresearchsuggestshowcarnivorousplantsdevelopedatasteforme
at.AstudyfromauniversityinGermanyshowsthatsmallchangesintheg
eneticsofplantsledtosomeofthembecomingcarnivorous.Thisledtoth
edevelopmentofsomeofnature'smostingeniousspecies.Carnivorous
plantsdevelopednewanddeviouswaystosnareinsects.TheVenusflytr
ap'sclam-likeleavessnapshutwhenaninsectcrawlsbetweenthem.T
hepitcherplanthasslipperyinsidesthatinsectscannotcrawlup.Thesun
dewplanthaslong,stickyleavesthatrollupwheninsectswalkorflyonthe
m.Researcherswhocollaboratedinthestudyincludedacomputational
evolutionarybiologistandaplantbiologist.Theycomparedthegenome
sofcarnivorousplantstonon-carnivorousones.Theyfoundthatmeat-
eatingplantsdevelopedfromthesameancestor60millionyearsago.Ar
esearchersaid:"Wewereabletotracetheoriginofcarnivorousgenesba
cktoaduplicationeventthatoccurredmanymillionsofyearsago."Anoth
erresearchersaid:"Thefunctionofthesegenesisrelatedtotheabilitytos
enseanddigestanimalsandtoutilisetheirnutrients."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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