Nutritional ecology of carnivorous pitcher plants.

肉食性猪笼草(Sarracenia Purpurea)在用改良树叶制成的罐子里捕捉昆虫猎物。猎物被一个简单的以碎屑为基础的食物网消化，它生活在水罐里。然后，被消化的猎物的营养物质被吸收到植物的组织中，用于生长和繁殖。紫花蛇舌草的水生群落是典型的“微生态系统”。特别是，比较植物和猪笼草群落在原生(北美)和引进(欧洲)范围内的功能，可能是了解生态系统如何运作的有效途径。本博士将通过研究猎物捕获、消化和营养转移到植物来研究这些猪笼草的营养生态学。这将通过使用简单的方法和使用分子标记(稳定同位素)在整个系统中跟踪营养来实现。您也可以使用DNA条形码来确定微生物群落组成。植物将在温室的受控条件下进行研究，并在欧洲和可能的北美进行现场研究。

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.