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9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Development of microalgae communities in the Phytotelmata of allochthonous populations of Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae).

The phytotelmata of the North American pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea are colonised by a great variety of aquatic organisms and, thus, provide an ideal model to study trophic interactions in small freshwater ecosystems. Although algae are discussed as a potential food source for predators, little is known about the structure of algae coenoses in pitchers of S. purpurea. This study aims to elucidate temporal shifts in the algae community structure in pitchers of an allochthonous population of S. purpurea in Saxony, Germany. A total of 78 algae taxa was found in the pitchers. Mean algae abundances in new and old pitchers were similar (2.6 x 10(5) and 2.3 x 10(5) algae ml(-1), respectively). Taxa from the orders Chlamydomonadales, Chlorococcales, and Ochromonadales were the primary colonisers. With increasing age of the pitchers the filamentous green algae from the order Klebsormidiales became more abundant. In contrast, pennate diatoms dominated the algae coenoses in the fen. Algae community structure in vase-shaped 50 ml Greiner tubes was similar to those of natural pitchers. Differences in the temporal patterns of algae coenoses in individual pitchers suggested a colonisation of the pitchers by algae via trapped insects, air and rain water rather than via the surrounding fen. Biomass of algae approximated 0.3 mg C ml(-1), which corresponds to 82.8 % of the living biomass (bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, algae, protozoans and rotifers). Rotifers were abundant in new pitchers; nematodes and mites were seldom found in all pitchers. A similar qualitative and quantitative composition of the aquatic biocoenoses was observed in pitchers of another allochthonous S. purpurea population growing in Blekinge, Sweden. Biomass of algae represented nearly one quarter of the total organic matter content in the pitchers. Thus, nitrogen and phosphorus compounds present in the algae biomass might be used by the carnivorous S. purpurea plant as additional food source in allochthonous populations in Europe lacking top predators.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Genetic variability and founder effect in the pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae) in populations introduced into Switzerland: from inbreeding to invasion.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The long-lived and mainly outcrossing species Sarracenia purpurea has been introduced into Switzerland and become invasive. This creates the opportunity to study reactions to founder effect and how a species can circumvent deleterious effects of bottlenecks such as reduced genetic diversity, inbreeding and extinction through mutational meltdown, to emerge as a highly invasive plant. METHODS: A population genetic survey by random amplified polymorphism DNA markers (RAPD) together with historical insights and a field pollination experiment were carried out. KEY RESULTS: At the regional scale, S. purpurea shows low structure (thetast=0.072) due to a recent founder event and important subsequent growth. Nevertheless, multivariate statistical analyses reveal that, because of a bottleneck that shifted allele frequencies, most of the variability is independent among populations. In one population (Tenasses) the species has become invasive and genetic analysis reveals restricted gene flow and family structure (thetast=0.287). Although inbreeding appears to be high (Fis >0.410 from a Bayesian estimation), a field pollination experiment failed to detect significant inbreeding depression upon F1 seed number and seed weight fitness-traits. Furthermore, crosses between unrelated individuals produced F1 seeds with significantly reduced fitness, thus showing local outbreeding depression. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that, under restricted gene flow among families, the species may not only have rapidly purged deleterious alleles, but also have undergone some form of selection for inbreeding due to co-adaptation between loci.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMedDate not supplied

High genetic diversity in Sarracenia leucophylla(Sarraceniaceae), a carnivorous wetland herb.

Eighteen allozyme loci were used to examine genetic diversity in 10 natural populations of Sarracenia leucophylla Raf., a pitcher plant restricted to the southeastern United States. One ex situ population propagated for restoration in Georgia was also analyzed. S. leucophylla is an insect-pollinated, outcrossing perennial wetland herb that is threatened over much of its geographic range. Fifteen loci (83.3%) were polymorphic, with a mean number of alleles of 3.33. Compared to species having similar life-history traits and to previously analyzed Sarracenia species, S. leucophylla displayed unexpectedly high genetic diversity. For example, genetic diversity within the species (Hes) was 0.224 and mean population genetic diversity (Hep) was 0.183. Although small S. leucophylla populations maintained less genetic diversity than larger ones, these differences were not statistically significant. Nonetheless, this suggests that small populations may have lost rare alleles. Statistically significant genetic differentiation among populations was found (theta = 0.192, P < .01), although it was not atypical considering the species' life-history characteristics. A significant correlation (P < .01) between genetic and geographic distance was found, indicating an isolation-by-distance effect. However, the correlation coefficient for this relationship was low (r = 0.46), suggesting that factors other than gene flow play a prominent role in the geographic distribution of genetic diversity within the species. The ex situ population captured most of the allozyme variation found in its source population.

Cluster Analysis↗
PubMed1999

Short-term effects of fire and competition on growth and plasticity of the yellow pitcher plant, Sarracenia alata (Sarraceniaceae).

Although recurrent fires are widely assumed to reduce competitive interference of plants of pine savannas, rarely has this assumption been tested explicitly. This 2-yr study reports on the interactive effects of fire and neighbors on short-term growth responses and plasticity in allocation patterns of a carnivorous plant, the yellow pitcher plant, Sarracenia alata. This species relies upon pitfall traps (pitchers) to attract and capture insects to obtain nutrients. Neighbors reduced the growth rate of individual ramet transplants (phytometers) in one but not both years of the study. The effect of neighbors on total (i.e., both above- and belowground) productivity of phytometers was not reduced by a winter fire. Neighbors had a greater effect on large plants than on small plants. Although fire did not affect the growth rate of phytometers in the short term, allocation patterns were greatly altered by both neighbors and fire. Allocation to pitchers increased at the expense of belowground organs following fire and in the absence of neighbors at the unburned site. Results of the current study suggest that adult pitcher plants may tolerate competition from neighboring vegetation by reducing allocation to costly pitchers during years without fire.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Inbreeding, outbreeding, and heterosis in the yellow pitcher plant, Sarracenia flava (Sarraceniaceae), in Virginia.

The yellow pitcher plant, Sarracenia flava, is an insectivorous plant restricted to fire-maintained wetland ecosystems in southeastern Virginia. Only four natural sites remain in the state totaling fewer than 100 clumps. Plants from sites located in Dinwiddie, Greensville, Prince George, Sussex counties, and the city of Suffolk were tested for the effects of self-pollination, intrasite outcrossing, and intersite outcrossing on offspring quantity (total seed number and total seed mass) and offspring quality (avarage seed mass, germination, and growth).Self-pollination resulted in significantly lower offspring quantity and quality. Total seed number and total seed mass for self-pollinated capsules were approximately one-fourth that of outcrossed capsules. Germination, survivorship, and growth over 5 yr were also significantly lower for offspring from self-pollinated capsules. Together, these results suggest strong inbreeding depression in this species.Relative to offspring from intrasite crosses, offspring from intersite crosses were significantly larger after 5 yr of growth. This suggests that restoration efforts for Virginia S. flava will be most successful when plants from multiple sites are used.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Interspecific and intraspecific variation in seed size and germination requirements of Sarracenia (Sarraceniaceae).

Seed size and germination requirements of eight (of nine) Sarracenia species, and 13 populations of S. purpurea were studied. All species except for S. purpurea are restricted to the southeastern United States, whereas S. purpurea ranges across Canada, southward along the eastern United States into Maryland and Virginia (S. purpurea ssp. purpurea), and from New Jersey southward into northern Florida and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico (S. purpurea ssp. venosa). I tested the hypotheses that dormancy-breaking requirements vary predictably among species across a latitudinal gradient. I also sought to determine whether seed size and germination requirements were useful characters for resolving systematic and phylogenetic questions within this genus. Seed size varied significantly among species, but variability in seed size within S. purpurea exceeded the variability in seed size observed across all eight species studied. Seeds of all species are morphophysiologically dormant upon dispersal. Length of required cool, moist pretreatment varied among species, and germination in higher latitude populations is enhanced with longer pretreatment. In contrast, variability in germination requirements of subspecies, varieties, and populations of the geographically wide-ranging S. purpurea was not related clearly to geographic location (latitude or elevation). Germination requirements do not map onto a proposed phylogeny of Sarracenia, but observed differences in germination requirements of S. purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkii relative to other populations of S. purpurea support the recent proposal to elevate this variety to species status.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

A demographic analysis of fire-stimulated seedling establishment of Sarracenia alata (Sarraceniaceae).

Recurring fires are thought to be critical to maintaining populations of carnivorous plants in wet pine savannas. Nevertheless, the impact of fire on population dynamics of these unique and sometimes rare plants is poorly understood. In this study, I analyzed stage-structured matrices for Sarracenia alata. To examine the effects of fire-stimulated increases in seedling establishment, five matrices were constructed, which differed in fecundity rates associated with different fire frequencies (annual fires, 1/3, 1/7, 1/20, and 0/20 yr). In addition, I analyzed the sensitivity of population growth and dynamics to changes in other vital rates. Fire-stimulated increases in fecundity were not necessary to maintain viable populations of Sarracenia alata. Although increases in fecundity increased population growth rate, all five fire frequencies (including the "no-fire" scenario) produced either stationary or increasing populations. Adding year-to-year stochasticity in vital rates did not alter these general trends. Population growth and decline were much more sensitive to reductions in the survival of large adult ramets (which were projected to have a life expectancy of 59 yr). Population growth was also more sensitive to changes in juvenile persistence than to juvenile growth, suggesting that conservative use of captured resources by juveniles has a greater impact on fitness than rapid growth and maturation. Given that a previous study showed that modest variation in fire frequency had no impact on either adult or juvenile survival, I conclude that Sarracenia alata relies on fire-regulated plasticity in allocation to pitchers to increase the survival and lifetime fecundity of iteroparous ramets.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Food-web models predict species abundances in response to habitat change.

Plant and animal population sizes inevitably change following habitat loss, but the mechanisms underlying these changes are poorly understood. We experimentally altered habitat volume and eliminated top trophic levels of the food web of invertebrates that inhabit rain-filled leaves of the carnivorous pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea. Path models that incorporated food-web structure better predicted population sizes of food-web constituents than did simple keystone species models, models that included only autecological responses to habitat volume, or models including both food-web structure and habitat volume. These results provide the first experimental confirmation that trophic structure can determine species abundances in the face of habitat loss.

Animals↗