Re: Carnivorous Orchid
Alastair Robinson (100611.1627@CompuServe.COM)
27 Dec 96 19:48:44 EST
Dear Carlo, I heard of this example about a year ago and cannot remember
the real details, therefore what I mention next, if incorrect or
completely off the mark for that matter, I would appreciate be corrected
by anyone who knows better.
This orchid is (I think I have my examples right!?) a
myrmecophile/myrmecophilous species and hence an ant symbiont, rather
like N.bicalcarata with its swollen insertion point at the base of its
pitchers. The ants live wholly in the corms/tubers from which the
leaves emerge, forming their colonies within the orchid. Research has
shown that those orchids in which the ants make their homes fare rather
better than those which do not have such symbiotic relationships. It
was theorised that the orchid might be carnivorous, but it has since
been explained that the orchids do indeed derive nourishment from the
ants, though not via what can be defined as carnivory. Rather, vital
nutrients are obtained from the castings of the ants, their carcasses,
and similarly from the matter introduced into the plants by the ants
(such as litter or food - I am not certain what they feed upon, but I
should imagine that this is a means by which other symbiotic organisms
would be introduced - fungi & saprophytic bacteria, breaking down this
material and releasing nutrients in the process, some of which the plant
gleans for its own).
Just my Tuppence worth!
Best wishes,
Alastair.