still, much can be deduced from the structure of current traps and their ecological interactions. it is widely believed that carnivory evolved as a method to increase nutrients in extremely nutrient poor conditions, leading to a cost-benefit model for botanical carnivory. cost-benefit models are given under the assumption that there is a set amount of energy potentially available for an organism, which leads to trade-offs when energy is allocated to certain functions to maximize competitive ability and fitness. for carnivory, the trait could only evolve if the increase in nutrients from prey capture exceeded the cost of investment in carnivorous adaptations.