protocarnivorous
adjUK /ˌpɹəʊtəkɑːˈnɪvəɹəs/
Etymology From proto- + carnivorous.
1
Biology, Botany, Natural sciences Of a plant Capable of trapping and killing insects or other animals but lacking the ability to digest or absorb nutrients from its prey.
- Recently, a new distinction has been made between the classical carnivorous plants, terrestrial or aquatic, and the newly discovered protocarnivorous plants.1998, Pierre Jolivet, Interrelationship Between Insects and Plants, CRC Press, page 101:
- Pinedrops and other protocarnivorous species have an advantage over other plants in situations where soil nitrogen is scarce.2007, Carolyn Dodson, William W. Dunmire, Mountain Wildflowers of the Southern Rockies: Revealing Their Natural History, University of New Mexico Press, page 45:
1 more example
- The abundance of dead and decaying animals turns the traps into attractive habits for different organisms. Carnivorous and protocarnivorous plants employ two different strategies to face this challenge: […]2011, Janek von Byern, Ingo Grunwald, editors, Biological Adhesive Systems, Springer Science & Business Media, page 24:
- Derived terms
- protocarnivorous plant
- Related terms
- protocarnivore