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. 2017 Mar;13(3):20160928.
doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0928.

Dipteran larvae and microbes facilitate nutrient sequestration in the Nepenthes gracilis pitcher plant host

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Dipteran larvae and microbes facilitate nutrient sequestration in the Nepenthes gracilis pitcher plant host

Weng Ngai Lam et al. Biol Lett. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

The fluid-containing traps of Nepenthes carnivorous pitcher plants (Nepenthaceae) are often inhabited by organisms known as inquilines. Dipteran larvae are key components of such communities and are thought to facilitate pitcher nitrogen sequestration by converting prey protein into inorganic nitrogen, although this has never been demonstrated in Nepenthes Pitcher fluids are also inhabited by microbes, although the relationship(s) between these and the plant is still unclear. In this study, we examined the hypothesis of digestive mutualism between N. gracilis pitchers and both dipteran larvae and fluid microbes. Using dipteran larvae, prey and fluid volumes mimicking in situ pitcher conditions, we conducted in vitro experiments and measured changes in available fluid nitrogen in response to dipteran larvae and microbe presence. We showed that the presence of dipteran larvae resulted in significantly higher and faster releases of ammonium and soluble protein into fluids in artificial pitchers, and that the presence of fluid microbes did likewise for ammonium. We showed also that niche segregation occurs between phorid and culicid larvae, with the former fragmenting prey carcasses and the latter suppressing fluid microbe levels. These results clarify the relationships between several key pitcher-dwelling organisms, and show that pitcher communities facilitate nutrient sequestration in their host.

Keywords: Nepenthes gracilis; digestive mutualism; inquiline; phytotelm; plant–microbe interaction.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Changes in fluid chemistry in digestion experiment set-ups over time (day): (a) turbidity (ΔOD600), a proxy for microbe concentration; (b) ammonium concentration (ΔNH4); and (c) soluble protein (ΔA595). Points with the same letter are not significantly different at p < 0.05 (Tukey's post hoc t-test). Data are represented by means ± s.e. (error bars). n = 6. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Changes in fluid ammonium concentration (ΔNH4) (left vertical axis) and turbidity (ΔOD600) (right vertical axis) in the four conditions tested in interaction experiments. Bars annotated with the same letter are not significantly different at p < 0.05 (Tukey's post hoc t-test). Data are represented by means ± s.e. (error bars). n = 3. (Online version in colour.)

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