A carnivorous plant that literally consumes animals can be converted into a vegetarian, as well.

These plants capture and digest tiny creatures for nutritional purposes, but recent research suggests they're also capable of overcoming their natural instincts and converting to vegetarianism.

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The aquatic carnivorous bladderwort found in many lakes and ponds worldwide also digests algae and pollen grains in aquatic habitats. Bladderworts (Utricularia) are one of the largest genera in carnivorous plants and has over 200 species.

"Aquatic bladderworts catch their prey with highly sophisticated suction traps consisting of little bladders that produce a hydrostatic under pressure. A valve-like trap door opens upon stimulation and the surrounding water including tiny organism flushes in rapidly within three milliseconds," the study authors said.

Once their prey penetrates the trap, it dies of suffocation, and the bladderwort's digestive enzymes begin to degrade it. The prey have minerals that help aquatic creatures live and propagate despite the poor nutrients in their habitats.

Researchers screened prey in more than 2,000 plant traps. They discovered that only about 10 percent were actually animals, whereas 50 percent of the prey were algae. Particularly in nutrient poor habitats like in peat bogs, algae were even more dominant as prey.

The findings were published in the journal Annals of Botany.

TagsCarnivorous Plants, Vegetarian, aquatic carnivorous bladderwort, bladderwort, Prey, algae, pollen grains, plant-trap