Date: Tue, 3 Nov 1998 08:12:08 -0500 From: "Mellard, David" <dam7@cdc.gov> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3491$foo@default> Subject: RE: sub carnivores
>Carnivory is not significant in an absolute sense to any CP (this is
different e.g. in holoparasitic
>plants). All can survive without animal nutrition. The relative
>competitive fitness/reproductive success of CPs may be increased with
>carnivory but none of them is really becoming a weed in unsuitable
>habitats (they are still not able to compete with _Arabidopsis_ in an
>average agricultural desert). I do not know of any example of a CP
>superseding any other species in a natural habitat *because of*
>carnivory.
Not that I'm disagreeing with you Jan <gr>, but I remember from the ICPS
conference at the ABG that someone plugged the entrance to the pitchers of
Sarracenia plants and within one season saw negative affects on the plant.
I seem to remember that the affect was reduced number and size of pitchers
but am not sure. I do remember the conclusion: the absence of animal
protect produced a negative effect on the plant. I suppose my point is that
carnivory is significant for some cp's, although they may be able to survive
without it.
This leads me to another question. I wonder if an acidic soil is necessary
for proper nutritional absorption by the roots or merely to provide an
environment where competition for sunlight is reduced.
David
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