Carnivorous plants face significant conservation challenges due to habitat destruction, climate change, and illegal harvesting. This study explores how elevation and population size influence key-life history traits of D. rotundifolia, such as flowering phenology, prey capture efficiency, seed production, and germination rates. Higher elevations and larger populations are associated with extended flowering durations and increased prey capture. However, seed production and germination rates show complex patterns that are likely influenced by genetic diversity, resource availability, or environmental conditions. These insights inform targeted conservation strategies, emphasizing habitat preservation, enhancing prey availability, and maintaining genetic diversity. Public education and community engagement are also crucial for reducing human disturbances. This research contributes to the broader understanding of carnivorous plant ecology, supporting effective conservation measures to protect D. rotundifolia and its ecosystems.

O conhecimento da associação entre plantas carnívoras e a comunidade bacteriana pode mostrar uma diversidade ainda não conhecida, além de proporcionar um melhor entendimento dos mecanismos envolvidos na interação de ambas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a diversidade microbiana presente em utrículos de Utricularia foliosa através da análise de bibliotecas do gene 16S rRNA obtida por pirosequenciamento. Os resultados indicam que no ponto 1, Proteobacteria (58%), Firmicutes (11%), Cyanobacteria (11%), Acidobacteria (7%), Verrucomicrobia (5%), Actinobacteria (3%) Chlamidiae (2%) e Bacteroidetes (1%) foram os grupos dominantes. Já no ponto 2 houve uma maior presença de Eukaryota (51%), sendo que os grupos mais presentes foram Streptophyta (88%), Bacillariophyta (7%) e Chlorophyta (2%). A grande presença de algas encontradas pode estar relacionada à disponibilidade de nutrientes nos utrículos e gerar um acréscimo de carbono e nitrogênio à cadeia alimentar no interior da armadilha. / Knowledge of the association between carnivorous plants and the bacterial community can show a diversity not yet known, and provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the interaction of both.The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial diversity present in utricles of Utricularia foliosa and evaluate the effect of plant growth site in this diversity. For this the 16S rRNA gene library was sequenced by pyrosequencing (454-Roche). The results indicate that in point 1, the dominants groups were composed by Proteobacteria (58%), Firmicutes (11%), Cyanobacteria (11%), Acidobacteria (7%), Verrucomicrobia (5% ) Actinobacteria (3%) Chlamidiae (2%) and Bacteroidetes (1%), while in the point 2, Eukaryota (51%), such as Streptophyta (88%), Bacillariophyta (7%) and Chlorophyta (2%) were dominant. The large presence of algae inside the utricles may be related to the availability of nutrients and increase the Carbon and nitrogen level inside the traps, allowing the growth of the plant and also the microbial community in this structures.

Orientadores: João Vasconcellos Neto, Gustavo Quevedo Romero / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T05:42:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Spolon_MelissaGallo_M.pdf: 4129370 bytes, checksum: be6d435f92be5c8e9bb999df9fab8da7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Plantas carnívoras, além de autotróficas também capturam presas, o que lhes permite ocupar ambientes pobres em nutrientes. Na região da Serra do Cipó ¿ MG, em uma área de campos rupestres, encontra-se com freqüência a espécie de planta carnívora Drosera hirtella A. St.-Hil. var. hirtella (D. hirtella), que apresenta variação na coloração das folhas e tricomas, havendo plantas desde totalmente verdes até totalmente vermelhas. Essa variação natural permitiu a realização de experimentos para testar as quatro hipóteses que serão descritas nos parágrafos a seguir. Para a primeira hipótese, esperava-se que D. hirtella mais expostas ao sol fossem mais frequentemente vermelhas, enquanto as menos expostas fossem mais frequentemente verdes, sendo a cor vermelha provavelmente uma forma de proteção contra a fotodegradação. Esta hipótese foi corroborada pelo primeiro experimento, que mostrou forte relação da cor de D. hirtella com o nível de exposição solar além de uma grande plasticidade da coloração dessa espécie de acordo com as condições de luminosidade. A segunda hipótese de trabalho foi parcialmente corroborada, pois se esperava que D. hirtella em áreas de solos mais pobres (menor concentração de nitrogênio) fossem mais frequentemente vermelhas, enquanto que D. hirtella em áreas de solos mais férteis (maior concentração de nitrogênio) fossem mais frequentemente verdes. O segundo experimento mostrou que os nutrientes disponíveis podem interferir na coloração da planta. A cor poderia ser assim uma resposta à deficiência de nutrientes disponíveis no solo, mas não necessariamente à deficiência de nitrogênio. A terceira hipótese, em que se esperava que D. hirtella de cor vermelha atraíssem mais insetos do que as de cor verde (um maior número de presas capturadas seria importante em solos pobres em nitrogênio), foram parcialmente corroborada pelos terceiro e quarto experimentos. A atratividade da forma vermelha de D. hirtella foi verificada, no entanto o segundo e o quinto experimentos mostraram que o nitrogênio presente no solo pode não estar interferindo diretamente na cor ou no número de presas capturadas. No terceiro experimento foi possível verificar que plantas vermelhas capturaram mais presas do que plantas verdes e plantas intermediárias. No entanto não ficou claro se a maior taxa de captura foi devida à coloração ou à quantidade de mucilagem, pois plantas vermelhas apresentaram mais tricomas funcionais. O quarto experimento mostrou que simulacros de plantas vermelhas capturaram mais presas em potencial do que simulacros de plantas verdes. Por fim, o quinto experimento não corroborou as predições da quarta hipótese em que se esperava que D. hirtella vermelhas, por capturarem mais presas, deveriam acumular mais 15N em seus tecidos do que as verdes; enquanto os tecidos das plantas verdes teriam mais nitrogênio total do que os tecidos das plantas vermelhas - por estarem em solos supostamente mais ricos em nitrogênio total. A única relação significativa foi à inesperada menor quantidade de 15N (d 15N) em plantas vermelhas. No entanto os resultados também sugerem que plantas vermelhas possam estar obtendo um ganho proporcionalmente maior de d15N, sugerindo que plantas verdes e vermelhas possam utilizar formas diferentes de processar esse isótopo / Abstract: Carnivorous plants are autotrophic organisms that also capture prey, allowing them to occupy nutrient-deficient habitats. In an area of rupestrian fields in the region of Serra do Cipó ¿ MG, the species of carnivorous plant Drosera hirtella A. St.-Hil. var. hirtella (D. hirtella) is frequently observed displaying color variation of its leaves and trichomes, which goes from totally green in some plants until completely red in others. This color variation has led to the experimental tests to examine the validity of four hypotheses. For the first hypothesis we expected that plants of D. hirtella more exposed to the sun were more often red whereas the least exposed plants were more frequently green. The red color is probably a form of protection against photodegradation. The first experiment showed a strong correlation between color of D. hirtella plants with the level of sun exposure and a great plasticity of this species color in accordance with light conditions. The second hypothesis was only partially supported as we expected that D. hirtella in areas of poor soils (less nitrogen) were most often red, whereas D. hirtella in areas of more fertile soils (more nitrogen) should be most often green. The second experiment showed that the availability of nutrients might also influence plant coloration. The color variation could be a general response to nutrient-deficient soils, but not necessarily a response to nitrogen deficiency. The third hypothesis, in which we expected that red plants would attract more insects than green plants (because a greater number of captured preys would be more important in low nitrogen soils), was partially supported by third and fourth experiments. The attractiveness of the red form of D. hirtella was confirmed, but the second and the fifth experiments showed that the nitrogen present in the soil may be not directly interfering in color and/or prey capture. In the third experiment we found that red plants caught more prey than green plants and intermediate plants. However it was unclear whether the higher catch rate was due to color or to the quantity of mucilage, because red plants showed more functional trichomes than green plants. The simulations of the fourth experimental block showed that the simulacra of red plants caught more potential prey than simulacra of green plants. Finally, as mentioned above, the fifth experiment did not exhibit the expected results of the fourth hypothesis, where it was expected that the red form of D. hirtella, by capturing more prey, should accumulate more 15N in their tissues than the green one; whereas the green plants tissues - supposedly living in soils richer in total nitrogen - should have more total nitrogen than the red plants tissues. The only significant relationship was the unexpected smaller d 15N in red plants. However the results also suggest that red plants may have a proportionally greater gain of d 15N, suggesting that green and red plants may use different ways of processing this isotope / Mestrado / Ecologia / Mestre em Ecologia

O conhecimento da associação entre plantas carnívoras e a comunidade bacteriana pode mostrar uma diversidade ainda não conhecida, além de proporcionar um melhor entendimento dos mecanismos envolvidos na interação de ambas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a diversidade microbiana presente em utrículos de Utricularia foliosa através da análise de bibliotecas do gene 16S rRNA obtida por pirosequenciamento. Os resultados indicam que no ponto 1, Proteobacteria (58%), Firmicutes (11%), Cyanobacteria (11%), Acidobacteria (7%), Verrucomicrobia (5%), Actinobacteria (3%) Chlamidiae (2%) e Bacteroidetes (1%) foram os grupos dominantes. Já no ponto 2 houve uma maior presença de Eukaryota (51%), sendo que os grupos mais presentes foram Streptophyta (88%), Bacillariophyta (7%) e Chlorophyta (2%). A grande presença de algas encontradas pode estar relacionada à disponibilidade de nutrientes nos utrículos e gerar um acréscimo de carbono e nitrogênio à cadeia alimentar no interior da armadilha. / Knowledge of the association between carnivorous plants and the bacterial community can show a diversity not yet known, and provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the interaction of both.The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial diversity present in utricles of Utricularia foliosa and evaluate the effect of plant growth site in this diversity. For this the 16S rRNA gene library was sequenced by pyrosequencing (454-Roche). The results indicate that in point 1, the dominants groups were composed by Proteobacteria (58%), Firmicutes (11%), Cyanobacteria (11%), Acidobacteria (7%), Verrucomicrobia (5% ) Actinobacteria (3%) Chlamidiae (2%) and Bacteroidetes (1%), while in the point 2, Eukaryota (51%), such as Streptophyta (88%), Bacillariophyta (7%) and Chlorophyta (2%) were dominant. The large presence of algae inside the utricles may be related to the availability of nutrients and increase the Carbon and nitrogen level inside the traps, allowing the growth of the plant and also the microbial community in this structures.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential element to plants for growth, maintenance and reproduction, however most N does not exist in a form that is biologically available to plants. In order to maximise the acquisition and retention of N, plants have evolved a variety of morphological and physiological adaptations and life history strategies, as well as the ability to respond plastically to changes in resource availability in ecological time. Determining the ecophysiological responses of plants to changes in root N availability is crucial to further understanding of the mechanisms underlying competitive interactions between plants, and between plants and other organisms, that ultimately contribute to community structure and ecosystem functioning. Carnivorous plants are ideal systems for investigating ecophysiological responses to N availability as:- (i) they share a unique adaptation for obtaining supplemental N from captured prey, therefore ecological stoichiometry and energetic cost/benefit models may be explored; (ii) the trait of botanical carnivory is widely considered to have independently co-evolved as a response to N-deficient, sunny and wet environments, therefore resource allocation trade-offs between plant investment in N and carbon (C) acquisition may be observed, and (iii) they are extremely sensitive to changes in root N availability in ecological time. In this research, the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia (round-leaved sundew) was used to address several unanswered ecophysiological and evolutionary questions relating to patterns and processes of prey capture and the N nutrition of carnivorous plants. Furthermore, the potential for reducing uncertainty in the calculation of plant reliance on carnivory using a δ15N natural abundance multi-level linear mixing model was explored. A combined approach of in-situ and ex-situ studies was employed, using co-occurring non-carnivorous plants or carnivorous plant species with differing evolutionary lineages or prey capture mechanisms respectively to provide context. Results show that the adaptations of carnivory, high reproductive investment and a relatively short life span enable Drosera rotundifolia to survive and thrive in an extreme, N deficient environment. Phenotypically plastic responses by the plant to light and root N availability provide evidence of resource allocation trade-offs between investment in carnivory for N acquisition and in photosynthesis for C acquisition. Plants invested less heavily in prey capture (measured as the stickiness of leaf mucilage) as N availability increased or light availability decreased. These results show that the energetic costs associated with carnivory are avoided by the plant when less costly sources of N are available for uptake and that the production of carbon-rich mucilage is only made under nutrient-limited and well-lit conditions. Results obtained from the comparison of captured insect prey with background invertebrates of potential prey indicate that Drosera rotundifolia is a dietary generalist, where the quantity of prey captured per plant is positively correlated with leaf stickiness and total leaf area. Plant reliance on prey-derived N decreased with increasing root N availability, providing evidence that carnivory is only of net benefit to the plant in N-deficient and well-lit environments, as the photosynthetic costs of investment in the trait are not exceeded by the energetic gain from prey N uptake in shady or dry habitats. A more accurate and precise method for calculating plant reliance on botanical carnivory is presented which incorporates the insect diet of the plant. This method has wider significance for reducing uncertainty in the calculation of relative source contributions to a mixture for most natural abundance applications using a multi-level linear mixing model. To conclude, results from this research further understanding of the ecophysiological mechanisms underlying plant responses to changes in resource availability and the selective pressures driving the evolution of plant adaptations. These results therefore assist with predicting how plants and plant communities may respond to sustained N deposition inputs and future environmental scenarios.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-07T14:49:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2655604 bytes, checksum: 40977b05a137b558e270683fb0fa6b8d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Carnivorous plants constitute a group of organisms that has well-defined requirements and environmental tolerances, it is recognized as bio-indicators of environmental quality and an important biological control agents of the small animals, possessing the potential educational value driven by the curiosity of the students, facilitating the construction of sensitivity and environmental knowledge. This study sought to use carnivorous plants as didactic instruments for the development of sensitivity, knowledge and environmental action students through environmental education in school. To this end, lectures, workshops, questionnaires, discussions and practical classes with students from regular high school public education were developed. Through studies, it was concluded that the carnivorous plants can be used as a teaching resource facilitator of the assimilation of information related to the local ecosystem, highlighting the importance of popular and scientific knowledge, characterizing and valuing regional habitats and species, encouraging research and dynamizing the teaching and learning process. / Plantas carnívoras constituem um grupo de organismos que detém exigências e tolerâncias ambientais bem definidas, reconhecidas como bioindicadores de qualidade ambiental e importantes agentes no controle biológico de pequenos animais, possuindo potencial valor didático direcionado pela curiosidade do aluno, facilitando a construção da sensibilidade e do saber ambiental. Este trabalho buscou utilizar plantas carnívoras como instrumentos didáticos para o desenvolvimento da sensibilidade, do saber e da ação ambiental dos alunos através da Educação Ambiental na escola. Para tal, foram desenvolvidas palestras, oficinas, questionários, discussões e aulas práticas com alunos do ensino médio regular da educação pública. Através dos estudos, concluiu-se que as plantas carnívoras podem ser utilizadas como recurso didático facilitador da assimilação de informações relacionadas aos ecossistemas locais, evidenciando a importância do conhecimento popular e científico, caracterizando e valorando habitats e espécies regionais, incentivando a pesquisa e dinamizando o processo ensino aprendizagem.

The major objective of this thesis are carnivorous plants of the genus Nepenthes and their pedagogical and educational usage addressing students of elementary and grammar schools. The first part provides a general description of the Nepenthes plants, often called tropical pitcher plants due to their pitcher-shaped leaves that function as a passive pitfall trap. Moreover, the field research on the Nepenthes digestive fluid acidity was undertaken at Borneo. Plant's acidity was measured by the pH meter with glass electrode. The results obtained prove pH level differences for various Nepenthes species. In addition, pH level differences in between the fluid from freshly opened pitcher and an older fluid were observed. All results are cross-validated with the values reported in literature. On the basis of the results of the field research, didactic part is assembled. The didactic part consists of the Nepenthes general description and proposal of educational activities aiming at the botany popularization in elementary and grammar schools. Subsequently, the method proposed is tested in biology classes of the second grade of elementary school. The results reveal a positive influence of the method on student's interest in botany.

Résumé confidentiel / Not available

A diversidade microbiana em ambientes aquáticos e sua associação com plantas carnívoras ainda é pouco estudada. Assim, a comunidade bacteriana da planta carnívora Utricularia gibba e do seu meio aquático foi avaliada por meio do seqüenciamento em larga escala (454 Roche) de uma biblioteca do gene 16S rRNA. Os resultados indicaram que a comunidade bacteriana na água é significativamente diferente da comunidade dos utrículos. Além disso, a comunidade bacteriana da água é composta principalmente por membros dos filos Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes e Verrucomicrobia, enquanto que a comunidade presente me U. gibba é composta por membros dos filos Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria e Acidobacteria. O gênero Polynucleobacter foi dominante nos dois ambientes aquáticos, mas não foi detectado no interior dos utrículos, onde Acidobacterium e Methylococcus foram os gêneros dominantes. Assim, uma comunidade bacteriana específica no interior dos utrículos deve ter sido selecionada a partir do ambiente, podendo esta atuar na degradação das presas. / The microbial diversity of aquatic environments and their association to carnivorous plants is still poor studied. Thus, the bacterial community associated to traps of Utricularia gibba and its aquatic environment was evaluated by large-scale sequencing (454 Roche) of 16S rRNA library from these environments. The results indicated the bacterial community in water is significantly different from the community of utricles. In addition, the bacterial community detected in water environment is mainly composed by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobia, while in utricules of U. gibba the community is composed by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria and Acidobacteria. The genus Polynucleobacter was dominant in water, but was not detected in association with the plant. Inside the plant, the genus Acidobacterium and Methylococcus were dominant, but were not detected in water samples. Thus, a specific bacterial community within the utricles should have been selected from the environment, and could play a role in prey degradation.

Carnivorous plants perform as both producers and consumers. Botanical carnivory has evolved in sunny, moist, nutrient-poor environments, and the primary nutrient supplied by prey is proposed to be nitrogen. There is a trade-off between carnivorous and photosynthetic structures which corresponds to degree of carnivory expression and available nutrients. This study was conducted on the hooded pitcher plant, Sarracenia minor, which is a facultative wetland plant and Florida-threatened species. Sarracenia minor is considered a specialist myrmecophage and ants characterize the majority of attracted and captured prey. Ants not only provide nutritional benefit, but also protection against herbivory. A natural population of S. minor in northeast Florida was selected to test response to prey and fertilizer nitrogen in a press-experimental design. Introduced fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) were used as prey and fertilizer nitrogen sources, respectively. Treatments included: 1) ant addition; 2) fertilizer addition; 3) ant addition/fertilizer addition; 4) no ants/no fertilizer; 5) control. Treatments were administered biweekly and morphological characteristics and herbivory were measured monthly from April-November 2012. Results indicated no significant treatment effects on plant performance and morphological characteristics, except for a significantly greater number of flowers displayed by the nutrient-deprived group (p < .005). Herbivory by Exyra semicrocea also showed a marginally significant negative effect on the tallest pitchers per ramet. Since nitrogen is primarily stored by pitchers and allocated to new growth in the following growing season, the predictive power of this study may be limited. However, increased flowering rate in the nutrient-deprived group suggests that plants were induced to flower from nutrient stress. Also, a burn at the beginning of the study likely influenced nutrient availability and plant response to experimental treatments. In conclusion, stress may have occurred from both fire and nutrients, and S. minor showed resistance and poor response to nitrogen addition.