Normally the traps of the pitcher plants are visible from afar – but this does not apply to an amazing representative of these carnivorous plants that researchers discovered on the Indonesian island of Borneo: Nepenthes pudica forms trapping organs up to eleven centimeters long underground in order to specifically catch the inhabitants of the to capture soil. According to the scientists, this once again shows the astonishing sophistication and adaptability of the plant kingdom.
Some snap, others stick and some set up pitfalls to capture flies, beetles and the like: around 600 plant species from 18 genera have developed complex structures and concepts in order to create “living fertilizer tablets” in their nutrient-poor habitats. For this purpose, the representatives of the pitcher plants (Nepenthes) have equipped themselves with special receptacles that look like flowers at first glance. However, these are parts of the leaves that are formed into bulbous structures that sit on tendril-like appendages. At their openings are nectar glands that attract prey. There, however, the victims find no support and fall into the chalice in which they await digestive fluid.
This basic concept occurs in different types of pitcher plants in different sizes and shapes. A particularly large number of female representatives can be found on the Indonesian island of Borneo. Among them are some particularly bizarre species that carry pitchers up to 40 centimeters long or form bizarre vampire fang structures. In all previously known species, however, the pitchers hang in the air, visible from afar, or sit on the ground in order to capture flying and crawling small animals. Surprisingly, this is not the case with the newly discovered species, reports the international research team.
Where are the cans?
Co-author Ľuboš Majeský from the Palacký University in Olomouc reports on the story of the discovery on Borneo: “During a several-day trip with our Indonesian colleagues to a previously unexplored mountain, we noticed plants that were undoubtedly representatives of Nepenthes, but did not seem to have any pitchers” , says Majesky. “But then, while taking pictures, I tore off a moss pad from a tree and discovered a bunch of maroon pitchers growing from a short shoot with reduced chlorophyll-free leaves,” reports the scientist.
Majeský and his colleagues then got to the bottom of this strange discovery. It turned out that this is a previously undescribed species of pitcher plant – and with previously unknown characteristics: “In fact, this species plants its pitchers, which are up to eleven centimeters long, underground, where they are formed in cavities or directly in the ground”. , says first author Martin Dančák from the Czech Palacký University in Olomouc. The team gave the new species the scientific name Nepenthes pudica, which means “shy pitcher plant,” in reference to its hidden fangs.
underground hunting grounds
The more detailed investigations showed that the plant can also form pitchers on some high-lying leaves, but its main hunting ground is the ground. Nepenthes pudica forms specialized subterranean shoots with stunted, completely white leaves. The pitchers, on the other hand, are fully developed and have a reddish colour. They are preferably produced in natural cavities in the subsoil – if these are not available, the pitchers also form directly in the ground, the researchers report.
Examination of the “contents of the stomach” shows that Nepenthes pudica captures typical inhabitants of the underground: ants, mites and beetles apparently fall into the pitchers. In addition, the researchers also found living animals that have adapted to exist in the digestive fluid, as is already known from other pitcher plant species. “We discovered numerous organisms living inside the pitchers, including mosquito larvae, nematodes and a worm that was also described as a new species,” says co-author Václav Čermák from Mendel University in Brno.
The habitat of Nepenthes pudica is mountain ridges at an altitude of 1100 to 1300 meters, which have a fairly dry climate, the scientists report. As they explain, this could be one of the reasons this species has moved its traps underground. “We suspect that the underground cavities have more stable environmental conditions, including humidity, and that there may also be more potential prey there during dry spells,” says co-author Michal Golos from the University of Bristol.
Finally, senior author Wewin Tjiasmanto from the Yayasan Konservasi Biota Lahan Basah in Surabaya, Indonesia, emphasizes the special significance of the find: “This discovery is important for conservation in Indonesian Borneo because it underlines its importance as a global biodiversity hotspot. We hope that the discovery of this unique carnivorous plant can help protect Borneo’s rainforests and in particular prevent the conversion of pristine forests into oil palm plantations,” says Tjiasmanto.
Source: Pensoft Publishers, Specialist Article: PhytoKeys, doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.201.82872