Life Sciences Commons^™

Diverse Microbial Communities Hosted By The Model Carnivorous Pitcher Plant Sarracenia Purpurea: Analysis Of Both Bacterial And Eukaryotic Composition Across Distinct Host Plant Populations, Jacob J. Grothjan, Erica B. Young

Biological Sciences Faculty Articles

Background. The pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea supplements nutrient acquisition through carnivory, capturing insect prey which are digested by a food web community of eukaryotes and bacteria. While the food web invertebrates are well studied, and some recent studies have characterized bacteria, detailed genetic analysis of eukaryotic diversity is lacking. This study aimed to compare eukaryotic and bacterial composition and diversity of pitcher communities within and between populations of host plants in nearby but distinct wetland habitats, and to characterize microbial functions across populations and in comparison with another freshwater community.

Methods. Pitcher fluid was sampled from the two …

Insectivorous Plants In Cedarburg Bog, Peter J. Salamun

Field Station Bulletins

Bogs, with their poorly drained organic soils, high water tables, low mineral content and cool sluggish water, offer unique habitats for a variety of unusual plants of which the insectivorous ones are especially interesting. These plants have one feature that separates them from others-their leaves are capable of attracting, holding and partially digesting insects. Because bogs are difficult to traverse during the warmer months of the year, and the mosquitoes are numerous, many persons have never observed these plants in their native habitats and few professional botanists have studied the nature of their physiological adaptations to this environment. A series …