With a Flick of the Lid: A Novel Trapping Mechanism in Nepenthes gracilis Pitcher Plants

2012/06/13 by Ulrike Bauer, Bruno Di Gíusto, Jeremy N. Skepper +2 · 4 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies #Plant Parasitism and Resistance #Plant Molecular Biology Research

paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038951

openalex publication_date 2012/06/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Carnivorous pitcher plants capture prey with modified leaves (pitchers), using diverse mechanisms such as 'insect aquaplaning' on the wet pitcher rim, slippery wax crystals on the inner pitcher wall, and viscoelastic retentive fluids. Here we describe a new trapping mechanism for Nepenthes gracilis which has evolved a unique, semi-slippery wax crystal surface on the underside of the pitcher lid and utilises the impact of rain drops to 'flick' insects into the trap. Depending on the experimental conditions (simulated 'rain', wet after 'rain', or dry), insects were captured mainly by the lid, the peristome, or the inner pitcher wall, respectively. The application of an anti-slip coating to the lower lid surface reduced prey capture in the field. Compared to sympatric N. rafflesiana, N. gracilis pitchers secreted more nectar under the lid and less on the peristome, thereby directing prey mainly towards the lid. The direct contribution to prey capture represents a novel function of the pitcher lid.

Citations

• Slippery or sticky? Functional diversity in the trapping strategy of Nepenthes carnivorous plants
• Trap geometry in three giant montane pitcher plant species from Borneo is a function of tree shrew body size
• A novel resource–service mutualism between bats and pitcher plants
• Ion fluxes across the pitcher walls of three Bornean Nepenthes pitcher plant species: flux rates and gland distribution patterns reflect nitrogen sequestration strategies
• Form follows function: morphological diversification and alternative trapping strategies in carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants

Cited by

• A Novel Type of Nutritional Ant–Plant Interaction: Ant Partners of Carnivorous Pitcher Plants Prevent Nutrient Export by Dipteran Pitcher Infauna
• Capture mechanism in Palaeotropical pitcher plants (Nepenthaceae) is constrained by climate
• A new section in <I>Nepenthes</I> (<I>Nepenthaceae</I>) and a new species from Sulawesi
• Nepenthes rafflesiana [wikipedia]