Trap geometry in three giant montane pitcher plant species from Borneo is a function of tree shrew body size

The New Phytologist
Lijin ChinCharles Clarke

Abstract

*Three Bornean pitcher plant species, Nepenthes lowii, N. rajah and N. macrophylla, produce modified pitchers that 'capture' tree shrew faeces for nutritional benefit. Tree shrews (Tupaia montana) feed on exudates produced by glands on the inner surfaces of the pitcher lids and defecate into the pitchers. *Here, we tested the hypothesis that pitcher geometry in these species is related to tree shrew body size by comparing the pitcher characteristics with those of five other 'typical' (arthropod-trapping) Nepenthes species. *We found that only pitchers with large orifices and lids that are concave, elongated and oriented approximately at right angles to the orifice capture faeces. The distance from the tree shrews' food source (that is, the lid nectar glands) to the front of the pitcher orifice precisely matches the head plus body length of T. montana in the faeces-trapping species, and is a function of orifice size and the angle of lid reflexion. *Substantial changes to nutrient acquisition strategies in carnivorous plants may occur through simple modifications to trap geometry. This extraordinary plant-animal interaction adds to a growing body of evidence that Nepenthes represents a candidate model for adaptive radiation with ...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Apr 5, 2011·Journal of Experimental Botany·Ulrike BauerWalter Federle
Jan 29, 2011·Biology Letters·T Ulmar GrafeMichael G Schöner
Feb 13, 2016·Ecology and Evolution·Laurence GaumeVincent Bonhomme
Dec 28, 2010·Phytochemistry·Axel Mithöfer
Jun 29, 2011·Plant, Cell & Environment·Andrej PavlovičJiří Šantrůček
Feb 26, 2016·Annals of Botany·Sandy RottloffFrédéric Bourgaud
May 8, 2015·Annals of Botany·Andrej Pavlovič, Michaela Saganová
Dec 8, 2010·Plant Signaling & Behavior·Jonathan A Moran, Charles M Clarke
Sep 24, 2010·Plant Signaling & Behavior·Charles ClarkeLijin Chin
May 14, 2011·Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution·Trina E RobertsLink E Olson
Apr 8, 2017·Annals of Botany·Rachel SchwallierFrederic Lens
Nov 14, 2017·The New Phytologist·Chris J ThorogoodSimon J Hiscock
Nov 25, 2019·Annals of Botany·Christopher R HatcherJonathan Millett
Sep 11, 2020·Molecular Ecology·Lillian D ParkerJesús E Maldonado
Sep 16, 2017·Scientific Reports·Ayufu YilamujiangAxel Mithöfer
Nov 22, 2020·Plants·Rachel SchwallierBarbara Gravendeel

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