April 23, 2013

Earth Day: Big Ecosystem Changes Viewed Through the Lens of Tiny Carnivorous Plants




Researchers use pitcher plants to identify signs of trouble dead ahead

In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.

---Kahlil Gibran

What do a pond or a lake and a carnivorous pitcher plant have in common?

The water-filled pool within a pitcher plant, it turns out, is a tiny ecosystem whose inner workings are similar to those of a full-scale water body.