Effects of prey, pitcher age, and microbes on acid phosphatase activity in fluid from pitchers of Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae).

ABSTRACT: Carnivory in pitcher plants generally involves digestion of prey, by the plant itself, by symbionts, or both. While symbionts appear to be important in the digestion of prey in Sarracenia purpurea, the importance of pitcher-derived enzymes is less well documented. Our goal was to reduce microbial numbers in pitcher fluid in order to measure the acid phosphatase activity attributable to the pitchers themselves. Preliminary experiments indicated that various antibiotics were minimally effective at reducing microbial populations and that antibiotic-resistant microbes were easily cultured from pitcher fluid. Consequently, we measured the abundance of culturable microbes in every sample taken for the measurement of acid phosphatase activity. Pitchers fed with one sterilized ant had higher level

SUBMITTER: Luciano CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5515422 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature