Nutritional ecology of carnivorous pitcher plants.

The carnivorous pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea captures insect prey in pitchers formed from modified leaves. Prey are digested by a simple detritus-based food web that lives inside the pitchers. The nutrients from digested prey are then absorbed into the plant's tissues and used for growth and reproduction. The aquatic communities which live in Sarracenia purpurea pitchers are model 'micro-ecosystems'. In particular, comparison of how the plant and the pitcher community function in their native (North America) vs introduced (Europe) range is potentially a powerful approach for understanding how ecosystems function.
This PhD will investigate the nutritional ecology of these pitcher plants by studying prey capture, digestion and nutrient transfer to the plants. This will be achieved using simple approaches and by using molecular markers (stable isotopes) to track nutrients through the system. You may also use DNA barcoding to determine microbial community composition. Plants will be studied in controlled conditions in greenhouses, and in-situ in Europe and potentially North America.