Pitcher plants grow on soils that are low in nitrogen, an important nutrient. They gain additional nitrogen from digesting the carcasses of insects that fall into the pitcher and drown in the liquid contained inside. Many pitcher plants make their surfaces slippery, often using waxes on the internal walls of the pitcher. Scientists in the Department of Zoology identified areas in the lip of the plant that have tiny ridges; when these are wet, insects skid off the lip and fall into the pitcher.
Slippery surfaces are of interest for the development of medical equipment. Bacteria form ‘biofilms’ on the surfaces of such equipment and removal is costly or, in some cases, impossible. It has been shown that surfaces inspired by the hanging pitcher plant prevent around 96% of biofilm attachment, and do so for a far longer time than untreated surfaces.
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