Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 08:16:25 -0400 From: Alastair <Alastair_R@compuserve.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2804$foo@default> Subject: Transp. & water in pitchers.
Charlie, I think you'll find that what you said is *still* the case!!
Plants photosynthesise and respire in the daylight hours, and respire
<only> at night. =
Effectively, plants therefore produce both oxygen and carbon dioxide in t=
he
day, but
the net expiration for oxygen is higher because some of the carbon dioxid=
e
evolved
from respiration is used in photosynthesis.
>this resulted in the elimination of oxygen as a waste product
Be a little wary here - the raw materials involved are CO2 and H2O and th=
ey
combine,
in an overall reaction to produce glucose: C6H12O6... oxygen is obviously=
included
in this molecule...but in order to achieve this, a certain number of CO2
and H2O
molecules are needed <six of each> and in this ratio, it happens that the=
re
is an
*excess* of oxygen which the plant expires...
With regard to water absorbtion in Nepenthes: In the unfortunate instanc=
e
that one
of my Nepenthes tragically died last summer having been left bone dry in =
my
absence,
I noticed that all the pitchers were full of fluid, which they tend to be=
as water
gets into them all the time... if this was the case, then surely it is
indicative
that water uptake from the pitchers is, though quite possible, of no real=
use to
the plant in terms of survival. Perhaps this will differ from species to
species
seeing as some species have operculi that don't cover the whole mouth of
the pitcher
and still others <Philippinos from Mindanao and Madagascans> experience t=
he
drier
conditions then the rest of the genus as a whole.
>I suppose this is similar to the water tanks seen in airplants
I wish it had been so for my plant, 'cause then it would still be alive
<sniff>;
if it IS the case that Nepenthes don't absorb water as do many Bromeliads=
from their
phytotelms, it would be a pity because that would be such a 'good' failsa=
fe
for dry conditions...
I've read somewhere that giving plants light for 24 hours has no long ter=
m
benefit
and that naturally, it will wreak dementia on the plants 'clock'...but I
should imagine
that the effect of this on equatorial species will not be as detrimental =
in
that
respect seeing as year round light daylength does not vary greatly... but=
in saying,
I'd rather give them a chance to "rest"...<g>
Marcin, I don't know if this is a help, but I am aware of two growers in
the Czech republic who you *might* want to get in touch with - if so, I
will give you their addresses privately.
All the best,
Alastair.
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