Endocytosis and Digestion in Carnivorous Pitcher Plants of the Family Sarraceniaceae.

Highly evolved carnivorous plants secrete digestive enzymes for degradation of trapped animals and absorb whole macromolecules from their prey by means of endocytosis. (1) Background: In the pitcher-plant family Sarraceniaceae, the production of enzymes is dubious and no evidence for endocytosis is known so far. (2) Methods: , , and nine taxa of are tested for cuticular pores, and for protease and endocytosis of the fluorescent protein analogue FITC-BSA, after 10-48 h of stimulation.