Page 172 - The Microworld Miracle

known as nematodes, far smaller than earthworms, fall prey to the
extraordinary traps set by fungi. When the fungi that nematodes
are nearby they lay sticky traps to stop the worms from getting
away. Even the simplest of these traps possesses three sensitive
cells that sense the prey in one-tenth of a second. When these cells
sense pressure, they contract and close up, catching their prey in the

trap. This snare, consisting of fungal cells, forms a network that
quickly grows and digests the prey within a few hours. Even if the
worms that fall into the trap escape, and even if the spores of the
fungus are only very few in number, they are still on the worm's
body and sooner or later will grow. Consequently, the worm will

die within one hour. 96
The existence of a carnivorous fungus is certainly surprising,
yet the really astonishing thing is the fungus's ability to trap its
prey. The most important question is how fungi, which are invisi-

THE MICROWORLD MIRACLE The fungus Oomycota phy-

ing species that caused the
potato famine in Ireland.
170 tophthora is a most damag-