In “Testing Darwin’s Hypothesis about the Wonderful Venus Flytrap: Marginal Spikes Form a ‘Horrid Prison’ for Moderate-Sized Insect Prey,” Alexander L. Davis investigates the importance of marginal spikes, the “teeth” lining the outer edge of the plant’s snap traps, in successfully capturing prey. He found that Venus flytraps experience a 90 percent decrease in moderate-sized cricket prey capture success when marginal spikes are removed. This effect disappears, however, for larger prey, suggesting that the spikes may provide a foothold for large prey to escape.