RT journal article
T1 Plant carnivory beyond bogs: Reliance on prey feeding in Drosophyllum lusitanicum (Drosophyllaceae) in dry Mediterranean heathland habitats
A1 Simpson Paniw, María
A1 Gil Cabeza, E.
A1 Ojeda Copete, Fernando
A2 Biología
K1 Carnivorous plant root
K1 dry-soil carnivorous plant
K1 insect prey
K1 pyrophyte
K1 soil nutrient uptake
K1 stable isotope analysis
AB Background and Aims In a cost-benefit framework, plant carnivory is hypothesized to be an adaptation to nutrient-poor soils in sunny, wetland habitats. However, apparent exceptions to this cost-benefit model exist, although they have been rarely studied. One of these exceptions is the carnivorous subshrub Drosophyllum lusitanicum, which thrives in Mediterranean heathlands on dry sandstone soils and has relatively well-developed, xeromorphic roots. Here, the roles of leaf (carnivory) and root (soil) nutrient uptake in growth promotion of this particular species were assessed. Methods In a greenhouse experiment, plants were fed with laboratory-reared fruit flies (Drosophila virilis) and received two concentrations of soil nutrients in a factorial design. Above-ground plant growth and final above-and below-ground dry biomass after 13 weeks were recorded. Nutrient uptake via roots was also evaluated, using stable nitrogen isotope analysis. Key Results Insect feeding resulted in significantly higher growth and above-and below-ground biomass compared with soil fertilization. No additional benefits of fertilization were discernable when plants were insect-fed, indicating that roots were not efficient in nutrient absorption. Conclusions The first evidence of strong reliance on insect prey feeding in a dry-soil carnivorous plant with welldeveloped roots is provided, suggesting that carnivory per se does not preclude persistence in dry habitats. Instead, the combination of carnivory and xeromorphic root features allows Drosophyllum to thrive on non-waterlogged soils. New evidence is added to recent research emphasizing the role of root systems of carnivorous plants in explaining their distribution, partly challenging the cost-benefit hypothesis.
PB Oxford University Press
SN 1095-8290
YR 2017
FD 2017
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/34158
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/34158
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 11-nov-2026