Adaptive radiation with regard to nutrient sequestration strategies in the carnivorous plants of the genus Nepenthes

Plant Signal Behav. 2012 Feb;7(2):295-7. doi: 10.4161/psb.18842. Epub 2012 Feb 1.

Abstract

Carnivorous pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes have evolved a great diversity of pitcher morphologies. Selective pressures for maximizing nutrient uptake have driven speciation and diversification of the genus in a process known as adaptive radiation. This leads to the evolution of pitchers adapted to specific and often bizarre source of nutrients, which are not strictly animal-derived. One example is Nepenthes ampullaria with unusual growth pattern and pitcher morphology what enables the plant to capture a leaf litter from the canopy above. We showed that the plant benefits from nitrogen uptake by increased rate of photosynthesis and growth what may provide competitive advantage over others co-habiting plants. A possible impact of such specialization toward hybridization, an important mechanism in speciation, is discussed.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Biological*
  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution*
  • Magnoliopsida / anatomy & histology
  • Magnoliopsida / physiology*
  • Nitrogen / metabolism*
  • Photosynthesis*
  • Plant Leaves
  • Sarraceniaceae
  • Species Specificity

Substances

  • Nitrogen