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Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Ecological implications of organic carbon dynamics in the traps of aquatic carnivorous Utricularia plants

Dagmara Sirová A B E , Jakub Borovec A B , Tomáš Picek A , Lubomír Adamec C , Linda Nedbalová C D and Jaroslav Vrba A B
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- Author Affiliations

A Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Department of Ecosystem Biology, Branišovská 31, CZ–37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

B Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre AS CR, Na Sádkách 7, CZ–37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

C Institute of Botany AS CR, Dukelská 135, CZ–37982 Třeboň, Czech Republic.

D Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ–12844 Praha, Czech Republic.

E Corresponding author. Email: dagmara_sirova@hotmail.com

Functional Plant Biology 38(7) 583-593 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP11023
Submitted: 22 January 2011  Accepted: 23 May 2011   Published: 12 July 2011

Abstract

Rootless aquatic carnivorous Utricularia exude up to 25% of their photosynthates into the trap lumen, which also harbours a complex microbial community thought to play a role in enhancing Utricularia nutrient acquisition. We investigated the composition of organic carbon in the trap fluid, its availability for microbial uptake, the influence of plant nutrient status and trap age on its biodegradability, and the composition of prokaryotic assemblages within the traps of three aquatic Utricularia species. Using ion chromatography and basal respiration rate measurements we confirmed that up to 30% of total dissolved organic carbon in Utricularia trap fluid in oligotrophic conditions was easily biodegradable compounds commonly found in plant root exudates (mainly glucose, fructose and lactate). The proportion of these compounds and their microbial utilisation decreased with increasing mineral nutrient supply and trap age. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation analyses showed that microbial trap assemblages are dominated by alpha and beta Proteobacteria, and that the assemblage composition is affected by changes in the ambient mineral nutrient supply. We suggest that organic carbon dynamics within the traps, involving both the plant and associated microbial assemblages, underlies the acquisition of key nutrients by Utricularia and may help explain the evolutionary success of the genus.

Aditional keywords: amino acids, biodegradability, exudate composition, nutrient availability, organic acids, plant–microbe interactions, sugars.


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