A carnivorous pitcher plant has been found to drug its prey with a chemical nerve agent before trapping and digesting it. Nepenthes khasiana produces a sweet nectar along the rim of its pitchers that attracts insects, especially ants, but the liquid is laced with isoshinanolone, a toxic compound that disrupts the insects’ nervous systems.
After feeding, affected ants become sluggish, lose muscle control and groom themselves excessively, before falling into the pitcher—sometimes dying before they even reach the bottom. The nectar also contains water-absorbing sugars that make the rim extremely slippery, increasing the chances that prey slide into the trap.
Once inside, the insects are broken down by digestive fluids, providing the plant with vital nutrients in the nutrient-poor soils where it grows.
