Embrace your inefficiency:Lessons for fish farmers from the Pitcher Plant

摘要

The pitcher plant is an insectivore that lures its prey by the sweet nectar inside. Its leaves are so slippery that an insect entering the plant will not be able to escape and drowns in the nectar. But to increase its productivity, it operates inefficiently. It is estimated that only 70% of ants that enter the plant become a meal for the plant.The plant is able to turn its trap on and off so that scouting ants will discover the nectar, escape and return to their colonies. The scout then recruits worker ants to help collect the nectar and brings them all back to the plant, greatly increasing the number of visitors (and meals) to the plant. In this case, operating at 70% efficiency has resulted in a much more effective plant!