Abstract

Although the effects of hybridization have been documented in various plant and animal systems, the consequences of this phenomenon in pitcher plants is not known. Two species of carnivorous pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea var. montana and the endangered Sarracenia jonesii) endemic to western North Carolina and northwestern South Carolina are known to hybridize in sympatry resulting in several small populations of hybrid progeny. These two species have very different ways of acquiring growth-limiting nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous), with S. purpurea var. montana relying on products from phytotelma communities within their pitchers, and S. jonesii. trapping and digesting prey. Hybrids of these two species are morphologically intermediate, but it is unclear which trophic strategy they employ. I sampled pitcher fluid from S. purpurea var. montana, S. jonesii, and their hybrids from two sites in western NC and used colorimetric protease and phosphatase assays to compare their enzyme profiles. I hypothesize that hybrids will have protease and phosphatase activity levels that are intermediate between the parental species. These analyses will shed light on the potentially significant ecological and evolutionary impacts of natural hybridization in pitcher plants.

How to Cite