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Resource availability affects investment in carnivory in Drosera rotundifolia

Thorén, Magnus LU ; Tuomi, J ; Kamarainen, T and Laine, K (2003) In New Phytologist 159(2). p.507-511
Abstract
Carnivory in plants is restricted to nutrient-poor and open habitats presumably because of high benefits and/or low costs of carnivory in these conditions. Carnivory is costly because the plants need specific adaptations to capture prey. Drosera rotundifolia produces sticky substances on its leaf surface to catch prey. These substances are primarily carbon-based, and their production can be expected to be lower in shade. The benefit of carnivory is in terms of the increased nutritional gain which will be low when inorganic nutrients are available in the growth medium. We expected that investment in carnivory would be lower in shade and nutrient-rich conditions. A factorial experiment involving shading and the addition of inorganic... (More)
Carnivory in plants is restricted to nutrient-poor and open habitats presumably because of high benefits and/or low costs of carnivory in these conditions. Carnivory is costly because the plants need specific adaptations to capture prey. Drosera rotundifolia produces sticky substances on its leaf surface to catch prey. These substances are primarily carbon-based, and their production can be expected to be lower in shade. The benefit of carnivory is in terms of the increased nutritional gain which will be low when inorganic nutrients are available in the growth medium. We expected that investment in carnivory would be lower in shade and nutrient-rich conditions. A factorial experiment involving shading and the addition of inorganic nutrients confirmed these predictions in the carnivorous, perennial herb D. rotundifolia . Plants growing in shade or in media with nutrients added had less sticky leaves and had reduced their investment in carnivory. Interestingly, the observed changes in the stickiness of the leaves were in accord with the carbon/nutrient balance theory, whereas a carbon-based secondary compound, 7-methyljuglone, in the leaves did not respond to shading or nutrient addition. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
carbon/nutrient balance theory, prey capture, leaf stickiness, carnivorous plant, Drosera (sundew), inorganic nutrients, shade
in
New Phytologist
volume
159
issue
2
pages
507 - 511
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000184032200022
  • scopus:0042349350
ISSN
1469-8137
DOI
10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00816.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Plant Ecology and Systematics (Closed 2011) (011004000)
id
17fa4c64-de0b-4613-a602-fb2e63269ef3 (old id 306734)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:38:01
date last changed
2022-03-29 03:30:24
@article{17fa4c64-de0b-4613-a602-fb2e63269ef3,
  abstract     = {{Carnivory in plants is restricted to nutrient-poor and open habitats presumably because of high benefits and/or low costs of carnivory in these conditions. Carnivory is costly because the plants need specific adaptations to capture prey. Drosera rotundifolia produces sticky substances on its leaf surface to catch prey. These substances are primarily carbon-based, and their production can be expected to be lower in shade. The benefit of carnivory is in terms of the increased nutritional gain which will be low when inorganic nutrients are available in the growth medium. We expected that investment in carnivory would be lower in shade and nutrient-rich conditions. A factorial experiment involving shading and the addition of inorganic nutrients confirmed these predictions in the carnivorous, perennial herb D. rotundifolia . Plants growing in shade or in media with nutrients added had less sticky leaves and had reduced their investment in carnivory. Interestingly, the observed changes in the stickiness of the leaves were in accord with the carbon/nutrient balance theory, whereas a carbon-based secondary compound, 7-methyljuglone, in the leaves did not respond to shading or nutrient addition.}},
  author       = {{Thorén, Magnus and Tuomi, J and Kamarainen, T and Laine, K}},
  issn         = {{1469-8137}},
  keywords     = {{carbon/nutrient balance theory; prey capture; leaf stickiness; carnivorous plant; Drosera (sundew); inorganic nutrients; shade}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{507--511}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{New Phytologist}},
  title        = {{Resource availability affects investment in carnivory in Drosera rotundifolia}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00816.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00816.x}},
  volume       = {{159}},
  year         = {{2003}},
}