Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jul 12;19(7):e0306602.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306602. eCollection 2024.

Analysis of the northern pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea L.) phytotelm bacteriome throughout a temperate region growing season

Paul P Melchior  1   2   3   4 , Emma Reiss  1   2 , Zachary Payne  1   2 , Nhi Vuong  1   2 , Kari Hovorka  1   2 , Hunter L Lindsay  1   2 , Gerardo R Diaz  4 , Tara Gaire  4 , Noelle Noyes  4
Affiliations

Analysis of the northern pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea L.) phytotelm bacteriome throughout a temperate region growing season

Paul P Melchior et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

The insectivorous Northern Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia purpurea, recruits a dynamic biotic community in the rainwater collected by its pitcher-shaped leaves. Insect capture and degradation within the pitcher fluid (phytotelma) has been well documented as a mechanism for supplementing the plant's nitrogen, phosphorous, and micronutrient requirements. Metagenomic studies have shown a diverse microbiome in this phytotelm environment, including taxa that contribute metabolically to prey digestion. In this investigation, we used high-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing and bioinformatics to analyze the S. purpurea phytotelm bacteriome as it changes through the growing season (May-September) in plants from the north-central region of the species' native range. Additionally, we used molecular techniques to detect and quantify bacterial nitrogenase genes (nifH) in all phytotelm samples to explore the hypothesis that diazotrophy is an additional mechanism of supplying biologically available nitrogen to S. purpurea. The results of this study indicate that while prokaryote diversity remains relatively stable in plants at different locations within our region, diversity changes significantly as the growing season progresses. Furthermore, nifH genes were detected at biologically significant concentrations in one hundred percent of samples, suggesting that nitrogen fixation may be an important contributor to the S. purpurea nutrient budget.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Sample (bog) locations in Minnesota, USA.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Phytotelm bacteriome alpha diversity (family-level) indices.
By bog location [(a—c) richness, (d—f) Shannon diversity, (g—i) Pielou’s evenness]. Adjusted P values based on Tukey pair-wise testing of estimated marginal mean contrasts.
Fig 3
Fig 3. NMDS Ordination at the ASV level (stress = 0. 0.087; k = 5).
Fig 4
Fig 4. Family-level relative abundance.
Each bar represents one sample, and samples are grouped by (a) sample date and (b) bog location.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Prevalence of diazotroph-containing genera in S. purpurea phytotelm samples.
Genera present in at least three samples (prevalence > 0.02) are shown.
Fig 6
Fig 6
(a) Pair-wise differential relative abundance by sample date (comparisons to May), and (b) by bog location. Red bubbles indicate differential abundance q-value < 0.05; bubble size indicates relative mean abundance. Only families with mean relative abundance > 0.1% shown.
Fig 7
Fig 7
Log10 nifH gene copies per mL S. purpurea phytotelm fluid by sample month for bogs (a) Beckman, (b) Clearwater, and (c) BBSR. P values (adjusted) based on Tukey pair-wise testing of estimated marginal mean contrasts.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Harper RM. The American pitcher-plants. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society. 1918. Sep 1;34(3):110–25.
    1. Karberg JM, Gale MR. Genetic diversity and distribution of Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae) in the western Lake Superior basin. Botany. 2006. Feb;84(2):235–42.
    1. Hepburn JS. Work of previous investigators on the biochemistry of Sarraceniaceae. Trans Wagner Free Institute of Science. 1927;11:3–23.
    1. Arber A. On the morphology of the pitcher-leaves in Heliamphora, Sarracenia, Darlingtonia, Cephalotus, and Nepenthes. Annals of Botany. 1941. Oct 1;5(20):563–78.
    1. Ellison AM, Gotelli NJ, Błędzki LA, Butler JL. Regulation by the pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea of the structure of its inquiline food web. The American Midland Naturalist. 2021. Jul;186(1):1–5.

Grants and funding

This project was funded entirely through from the Bioscience Research Fund (No. 6-1220) of the North Hennepin Community College Foundation (501(c)3), US EIN: 41-1431459 North Hennepin Community College Foundation C/O Laura Brandt, Executive Director 7411 85th Avenue North Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 55445 USA URL: https://www.nhcc.edu/about-nhcc/nhcc-foundation The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

LinkOut - more resources