| Abstract Detail
Ecological Section Osunkoya, Olusegun, O [1], Daud, Dayanawati, S [2], Wimmer, Franz, L [3]. Construction costs and physico-chemical properties of the assimilatory organs of Nepenthaceae species in northern Borneo. Introduction: Species of Nepenthaceae family are under-represented in studies of leaf traits and consequently view of mineral nutrition and limitation in carnivorous plants. This study is aimed to complement existing data on leaf traits of carnivorous plants. The physico-chemical properties, including construction costs (CC), of the assimilatory organs (leaf and pitcher) of a guild of lowland Nepenthes species inhabiting heath and/or peat swamp forests of Brunei, Northern Borneo were determined. Stoichiometry analyses indicate that Nepenthes species are N limited. Most traits vary appreciable across species, but greater variations exist between the assimilatory organs. Organ mass per unit area, dry matter tissue concentration (density), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), carbon (C), heat of combustion (Hc), and CC values were higher in the leaf relative to the pitcher, while organ thickness, potassium (K) and ash showed the opposite trend. Cross species correlations indicate that joint rather than individual consideration of the leaf and the pitcher give better predictive relationships between variables – signalling tight interdependence of the two assimilatory organs. Across species, CC mass-based did not vary with N or P, but increases significantly with tissue density, C and Hc, and decreases with K and ash contents. The lower CC value for the pitcher is in agreement with the concept of low marginal cost for carnivory relative to conventional autotrophy. The poor explanatory power of N, P or N:P ratio with CC suggests that factors other than production of expensive photosynthetic machinery, including concentrations of lignin, wax/lipids or osmoregulatory ions like K+, may give a better explanation of the CC variation across Nepenthes species.
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http://http://www.ubd.edu.bn/academic/faculty/fos/staff/biology/index.htm
1 - Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Biology Department, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, Bandar Seri Begawan, BE 1410, BRUNEI
2 - Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Biology Department
3 - Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Chemistry Department
Keywords:
Botanical carnivory
leaf traits
Mineral nutrition.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: CP25
Location: Williford B/Hilton
Date: Tuesday, July 10th, 2007
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: CP25001
Abstract ID:62 |
