New Harvard Forest Publication: Physiological Costs of Carnivory in Carnivorous Plants

Harvard Forest Senior Ecologist Aaron Ellison and Bullard Fellow Elizabeth Farnsworth analyzed photosynthetic rates, tissue nutrient content, and morphology of the California pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica, and found that carnivorous plants deviate substantially from generalized spectra of leaf traits proposed for a wide variety of terrestrial plants. This work also sheds light on the actual physiological costs of carnivory for carnivorous plants.

The Cost of Carnivory for Darlingtonia Californica (Sarraceniaceae): Evidence from Relationships among Leaf Traits. A.M. Ellison and E.J. Farnsworth. American Journal of Botany 92: 1085-1093 (2005).