e-journal

Secreted pitfall-trap fluid of carnivorous Nepenthes plants is unsuitable for microbial growth

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† Background and Aims:
Carnivorous plants of the genus Nepenthes possess modified leaves that form pitfall traps in order to capture prey, mainly arthropods, to make additional nutrients available for the plant. These pitchers contain a digestive fluid due to the presence of hydrolytic enzymes. In this study, the composition of the digestive
fluid was further analysed with regard to mineral nutrients and low molecular-weight compounds. A potential
contribution of microbes to the composition of pitcher fluid was investigated.

† Methods:
Fluids from closed pitchers were harvested and analysed for mineral nutrients using analytical techniques
based on ion-chromatography and inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy. Secondary metabolites were identified by a combination of LC-MS and NMR. The presence of bacteria in the pitcher fluid
was investigated by PCR of 16S-rRNA genes. Growth analyses of bacteria and yeast were performed in vitro with
harvested pitcher fluid and in vivo within pitchers with injected microbes.

† Key Results:
The pitcher fluid from closed pitchers was found to be primarily an approx. 25-mM KCl solution, which is free of bacteria and unsuitable for microbial growth probably due to the lack of essential mineral nutrients such as phosphate and inorganic nitrogen. The fluid also contained antimicrobial naphthoquinones, plumbagin and 7-methyl-juglone, and defensive proteins such as the thaumatin-like protein. Challenging with bacteria or yeast caused bactericide as well as fungistatic properties in the fluid. Our results reveal that Nepenthes pitcher
fluids represent a dynamic system that is able to react to the presence of microbes.

†Conclusions:
The secreted liquid of closed and freshly opened Nepenthes pitchers is exclusively plant-derived. It is unsuitable to serve as an environment for microbial growth. Thus, Nepenthes plants can avoid and control, at
least to some extent, the microbial colonization of their pitfall traps and, thereby, reduce the need to vie with microbes for the prey-derived nutrients.

Key words: Antimicrobial activity, carnivorous plants, defensive proteins, digestive pitcher fluid,
naphthoquinones, Nepenthes spp., mineral nutrients, pitfall traps.

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Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

Annals of Botany

No. Panggil

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Penerbit

Oxford : Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company., 2013

Deskripsi Fisik

Annals of Botany 111: 375–383, 2013

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

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Klasifikasi

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Tipe Isi

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Tipe Media

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Tipe Pembawa

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Edisi

111: 2013

Subjek

EKOFISIOLOGI TANAMAN

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

agus

Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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