I used to belong to a carnivorous plant forum. The question was raised, "WHY do carnivorous plants often die when planted in nutrient-rich (or non-poor) soils?".

One grower of Venus flytraps set aside 100's of tissue-grown clones to evaluate each theory proposed, and determined that their roots were highly susceptible to fungal attack. Presumably, they had lost this (perhaps metabolically costly) genetic defense, because they were growing in substrates that were naturally hostile to fungal growth.

Anyway, the slightly more fascinating part to me was that, for this pro grower, growing hundreds of plants on a lark was a fairly trivial exercise. I cast aside my prior image of bunny-suited lab techs with pipettes and agar jars; this was full-scale production line.

BTW: possession of wild-born Venus flytraps can result in a $500 fine per plant. Poachers load up pickup trucks with trays of them. Being caught generally means complete financial ruin.

The irony is that VFTs aren't even considered endangered, per CITES definitions. They only grow in a few counties in the US, however, so their survival is nonethless precarious and worthy of heavy-handed defense.