protocarnivorous

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

proto- +‎ carnivorous

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˌpɹəʊtəkɑːˈnɪvəɹəs/

Adjective[edit]

protocarnivorous (not comparable)

  1. (botany, of a plant) Capable of trapping and killing insects or other animals but lacking the ability to digest or absorb nutrients from its prey.
    Synonyms: paracarnivorous, subcarnivorous
    • 1998, Pierre Jolivet, Interrelationship Between Insects and Plants, CRC Press, page 101:
      Recently, a new distinction has been made between the classical carnivorous plants, terrestrial or aquatic, and the newly discovered protocarnivorous plants.
    • 2007, Carolyn Dodson, William W. Dunmire, Mountain Wildflowers of the Southern Rockies: Revealing Their Natural History, University of New Mexico Press, page 45:
      Pinedrops and other protocarnivorous species have an advantage over other plants in situations where soil nitrogen is scarce.
    • 2011, Janek von Byern, Ingo Grunwald, editors, Biological Adhesive Systems, Springer Science & Business Media, page 24:
      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: []

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