Researchers have proposed a new physical explanation for the rapid closure of the Venus flytrap, suggesting that cell wall softening, rather than water redistribution, drives the mechanism.

研究人員為捕蠅草的快速閉合提出了一個新的物理解釋，認為是細胞壁軟化而非水分重新分佈驅動了該機制。

The rapid closure of Dionaea muscipula, occurring in approximately one-tenth of a second, has remained a subject of scientific inquiry since the observations of Charles Darwin. Historically, two primary hypotheses prevailed: one positing that the rapid translocation of water into outer epidermal cells induced swelling and subsequent closure, and another suggesting that a reduction in the stiffness of these cell walls allowed stored mechanical tension to be released.

捕蠅草 (Dionaea muscipula) 在大約十分之一秒內快速閉合，自從查理斯·達爾文觀察到之後，一直以來都是科學探究的對象。歷史上，主要有兩種假說佔主導：一種認為水分快速轉移至外表皮細胞導致腫脹，進而引起閉合；另一種則認為是這些細胞壁的剛性降低，使得儲存的機械張力得以釋放。

To evaluate these competing theories, a research team led by Yoël Forterre of Aix-Marseille University employed a methodology involving the immobilization of traps with dental impression paste and the modification of trap geometry through precise slicing. Utilizing nanoindentation and high-speed imaging, the team measured the mechanical properties of the epidermal layer. Their data indicated that water transport occurs at a rate of 30 to 60 seconds, which is insufficient to account for the observed closure speed. Conversely, the researchers identified a rapid softening of the cell walls—approximately 30 to 40 percent—occurring within one second of stimulation. This process is preceded by an electrical signal and a wave of calcium ions triggered by the tactile stimulation of specialized hairs.

為了評估這些競爭理論，由艾克斯-馬賽大學的 Yoël Forterre 領導的研究團隊採用了一種方法，包括使用牙科印模膏將陷阱固定，並透過精確切片來改變陷阱的幾何形狀。該團隊利用奈米壓痕技術與高速成像，測量了表皮層的機械特性。其數據顯示，水分傳輸的速度為 30 到 60 秒，不足以解釋所觀察到的閉合速度。相反地，研究人員發現細胞壁在刺激後一秒內快速軟化，幅度約為 30% 至 40%。此過程由電訊號以及由特化感應毛觸發的鈣離子波所引起。

Stakeholder reception of these findings is bifurcated. Some experts, including Marilyn Ball and Kim Johnson, suggest that this discovery underscores the dynamic role of cell walls in plant physiology and may indicate the repurposing of existing cellular stress responses for prey capture. However, Professor Sergey Shabala has contested these conclusions, arguing that the study fails to account for parallel water transport mechanisms and lacks a known biological basis for such rapid cell wall relaxation. Furthermore, the mechanism does not currently explain the plant's ability to reopen within five minutes.

利益相關者對這些發現的反應兩極分化。包括 Marilyn Ball 與 Kim Johnson 在內的一些專家認為，此發現凸顯了細胞壁在植物生理學中的動態作用，並可能表明植物將現有的細胞壓力反應轉用於捕捉獵物。然而，Sergey Shabala 教授對這些結論提出質疑，認為研究未能考慮到平行水分傳輸機制，且缺乏已知生物學基礎來解釋如此快速的細胞壁鬆弛。此外，該機制目前無法解釋植物在五分鐘內重新開啟的能力。

The study concludes that rapid cell wall softening is the primary driver of trap closure, though the specific molecular triggers remain unidentified.

研究結論為快速細胞壁軟化是陷阱閉合的主要驅動力，儘管具體的分子觸發機制仍未被確定。