uid=HFR,o=lter,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org
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public
read
doi:10.6073/pasta/438fb8e6daeca9e7b3718d7eecb9f497
Sarracenia Purpurea Prey Capture at Harvard Forest 2008
Aaron
Ellison
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4151-6081
Katherine
Bennett
2023
English
We experimentally demonstrate that nectar, not color, is the primary attractant of prey to carnivorous pitcher plants in their native habitats. Prey capture (either all taxa summed or individual common taxa considered separately) was not associated with total red area or patterning on pitchers of living pitcher plants. We separated effects of nectar availability and coloration using painted "pseudopitchers", half of which were coated with sugar solution. Unsugared pseudopitchers captured virtually no prey, whereas pseudopitchers with sugar solution captured the same amount of prey as living pitchers. In contrast to a recent study that associated red coloration with prey capture but that lacked appropriate controls for nectar availability, we conclude that nectar, not color, is the primary means by which pitcher plants attract prey.
carnivorous plants
insects
predation
LTER controlled vocabulary
populations
LTER core area
Harvard Forest
HFR
LTER
USA
HFR default
This dataset is released to the public under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (No Rights Reserved). Please keep the dataset creators informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset should include proper acknowledgement.
Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
https://spdx.org/licenses/CC0-1.0.html
CC0-1.0
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf114
Tom Swamp Tract (Harvard Forest). Coordinates based on WGS84 datum.
-72.20
-72.20
+42.50
+42.50
240
240
meter
2008
2008
genus
Dolichoderus
species
pustulatus
genus
Formica
species
fusca
genus
Formica
species
subaenescens
genus
Myrmica
species
lobifrons
genus
Sarracenia
species
purpurea
genus
Tapinoma
species
sessile
complete
Information Manager
Harvard Forest
324 North Main Street
Petersham
MA
01366
USA
(978) 724-3302
hf-im@lists.fas.harvard.edu
Harvard Forest
324 North Main Street
Petersham
MA
01366
USA
(978) 724-3302
(978) 724-3595
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu
We conducted this study during mid-summer, when insect abundance and prey capture is highest in New England (Fish and Hall 1978). In July 2008, we randomly identified 25 pitchers, each on a different Sarracenia purpurea plant, at Tom Swamp, a bog in Petersham, Massachusetts, USA. On 3 July 2008, we suctioned out all liquid and prey carcasses from pitchers, rinsed them, and then refilled them with distilled water. Three days later, pitcher contents were collected and the prey counted and identified. The experiment was repeated on 11 and 14 July 2008. On 17 July 2008, pitchers were harvested, cleaned, flattened and photographed (Canon S3-IS digital camera) to determine each pitcher’s area, proportion red color; and perimeter of red venation (using SigmaSan Pro 5.0; SPSS, Chicago, Illinois). Spectral reflectance (375 - 800 nm) of pitchers was measured at 2-cm intervals around the pitcher and across the pitcher hood using an Ocean Optics S2000 fiber-optic spectrometer, ISP-REF integrating sphere, and OOIColor/OOIIrrad 2.05.00 software (Ocean Optics, Dunedin, Florida). Reference scans were made using Kodak (Rochester, New York) black and white reference cards.
Seventy "pseudopitchers" (painted 50-ml plastic centrifuge tubes [BD Biosciences, San Jose, California]) were used to separate effects of color and nectar on prey capture. Seven sets of ten were assigned different color treatments. One set was painted entirely green using "Fresh Foliage" acrylic paint (Plaid Enterprises, Norcross, Georgia); one set was painted entirely red (Plaid Enterprises' "Burgundy"); four sets were first painted green, then red "veins" were added to produce 6 - 62% red color, the range found on real pitchers; and one set of 10 was unpainted controls. Peak reflectances of the green and red paints were the same wavelengths as peak reflectances of green and red pitchers. To determine how availability of nectar interacted with color in attracting prey, four lines of Karo Corn Syrup (ACH Food Companies, Memphis, Tennessee), cooked until thick, were streaked at random locations on one-half of each set of pseudopitchers. Like all plant nectars, Karo Corn Syrup is a mixture of fructose and glucose. To closely resemble real pitcher plants, pseudopitchers were embedded at an angle in the bog surface with more than 50% of the tube visible above the Sphagnum. Psuedopitchers were located within 10 meters of the plants for which we assessed prey capture. Fifteen ml of 50% ethanol was put inside each tube; trapped insects were collected after 48 hrs, counted, and identified. The entire experiment was repeated twice over a three-week span of time.
Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research
Harvard Forest
324 North Main Street
Petersham
MA
01366
USA
(978) 724-3302
(978) 724-3595
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu
https://ror.org/059cpzx98
pointOfContact
The Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts.
National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210.
hf114-01-real-prey.csv
real prey
hf114-01-real-prey.csv
1795
2a8c1346e5db26d8c569edb6c36bd017
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p11/hf114/hf114-01-real-prey.csv
plant
plant number (1-25)
plant number (1-25)
height
height of pitcher in cm
centimeter
0.1
real
NA
missing value
diameter1
diameter across the pitcher mouth in cm
centimeter
0.01
real
NA
missing value
diameter2
diameter perpendicular to diameter 1 in cm
centimeter
0.01
real
NA
missing value
totalarea
surface area of the plant in cm2
squareCentimeters
0.01
real
NA
missing value
redarea
total surface area that is red in cm2
squareCentimeters
0.01
real
NA
missing value
redperimeter
total perimeter of red veins in cm
squareCentimeters
0.01
real
NA
missing value
ants20080703
number of ants captured from July 1 - July 3, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
ants20080711
number of ants captured from July 8 - July 11, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
ants20080714
number of ants captured from July 11 - July 14, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
collembola20080703
number of springtails captured from July 1 - July 3, 200
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
collembola20080711
number of springtails captured from July 8 - July 11, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
collembola20080714
number of springtails captured from July 11 - July 14, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
spiders20080703
number of spiders captured from July 1 - July 3, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
spiders20080711
number of spiders captured from July 8 - July 11, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
spiders20080714
number of spiders captured from July 11 - July 14, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
flies20080703
number of flies captured from July 1 - July 3, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
flies20080711
number of flies captured from July 8 - July 11, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
flies20080714
number of flies captured from July 11 - July 14, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
25
hf114-02-pseudo-prey.csv
pseudo prey
hf114-02-pseudo-prey.csv
3329
12faa73b64a517b0489113f33de66b54
1
\r\n
column
,
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/data/p11/hf114/hf114-02-pseudo-prey.csv
tubenumber
pseudopitcher number
pseudopitcher number
paint
painted (yes or no)
yes
painted
no
not painted
nectar
nectar added (yes or no)
yes
nectar added
no
nectar not added
tubearea
surface area of the pseudopitcher. Always = 64.28 cm2
squareCentimeters
0.01
real
NA
missing value
redarea
total surface area of pseudopitcher painted red in cm2
squareCentimeters
0.01
real
NA
missing value
redperimeter
total perimeter of pseudopitcher painted red in cm
centimeter
0.01
real
NA
missing value
ants20080819
number of ants captured from August 17 - August 19, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
ants20080905
number of ants captured from September 3 - September 5, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
collembola20080819
number of springtails captured from August 17 - August 19, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
collembola20080905
number of springtails captured from September 3 -
September 5, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
spiders20080819
number of spiders captured from August 17 - August 19, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
spiders20080905
number of spiders captured from September 3 - September 5, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
flies20080819
number of flies captured from August 17 - August 19, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
files20080905
number of flies captured from September 3 - September 5, 2008
number
1
whole
NA
missing value
70
community
short-term measurement
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf109
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf096
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf111
https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/exist/apps/datasets/showData.html?id=hf098