Re: Sarracenia food

Liane Cochran-Stafira (lcochran@midway.uchicago.edu)
Wed, 27 Mar 1996 09:12:45 -0600 (CST)

Hi Carlo,
I have seen slugs, spiders, and large caterpillars on occasion in
S. purpurea pitchers. Usually these larger prey items cause the pitcher
fluid to become really putrid and anoxic. The low oxygen levels frequently
kill off all of the symbiotic invertebrates resulting in a pitcher
community of microbes only. The pitchers also smell terrible.

Liane

>Hey all, a few weeks ago one of my Sarracenia purpurea had a squiggly thing
>in a pitcher too. A centipede! There's nothing much left of it either. It's
>the largest prey I've been able to document in my own plants.
>
>Anyone else have experience with "invertebrate megafauna?"
>
>Carlo
>
>Carlo A. Balistrieri, J.D. Email: CABalist@facstaff.wisc.edu
>P.O. Box 327
>Ashippun, WI 53003-0327
>U.S.A.
>Voice: 414.474.7771
>Telefax: 414.474.7772

Liane Cochran-Stafira
Dept. of Ecology and Evolution
The University of Chicago
1101 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637-5415
phone: 312-702-1930
e-mail: lcochran@midway.uchicago.edu