10.5061/DRYAD.5H6C1
Schöner, Caroline R.
University of Greifswald
Schöner, Michael G.
University of Greifswald
Grafe, T. Ulmar
Universiti Brunei Darussalam
Clarke, Charles M.
James Cook University
Dombrowski, Linda
University of Greifswald
Tan, Moi Chan
Universiti Brunei Darussalam
Kerth, Gerald
University of Greifswald
Data from: Ecological outsourcing: a pitcher plant benefits from
transferring pre-digestion of prey to a bat mutualist
Dryad
dataset
2017
Nepenthes rafflesiana
Kerivoula
Kerivoula hardwickii
Nepenthes
animal-plant interaction
Nepenthes hemsleyana
digestive mutualism
Fluorescence
Photosynthesis
trait loss
2017-08-22T00:00:00Z
2017-08-22T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12653
50343 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Mutualisms are interspecific interactions where each of the species
involved gains net benefits from the other(s). The exchange of resources
and/or services between mutualistic partners often involves tasks that
species originally accomplished themselves but which have been taken over
by or transferred to the more efficient partner during the evolution of
the mutualism. Such ‘ecological outsourcing’ can be seen, for example, in
several carnivorous plants that have transferred prey capture and
digestion to animal partners. However, the outcome of this transfer and
its fitness relevance has rarely been quantified. Using a digestive
mutualism between a carnivorous pitcher plant (Nepenthes hemsleyana) and a
bat (Kerivoula hardwickii) as a model, we tested the hypothesis that
ecological outsourcing is a profitable strategy for the outsourcing
partner. To evaluate the value of this mutualism, we conducted a series of
field and glasshouse experiments. We measured the benefits of ecological
outsourcing by comparing survival, growth, photosynthesis and nutrient
content of N. hemsleyana plants fed with bat faeces to those fed with
arthropods. To investigate the costs of such outsourcing processes, we
repeated the experiment with the closest relative (Nepenthes rafflesiana)
that is not adapted to digest bat faeces. We found that N. hemsleyana
plants fed with faeces had increased survival, growth and photosynthesis
compared to plants fed with arthropods only. On average, plants covered
95% of their nitrogen demand from faeces under strong nutrient
deprivation. Despite N. rafflesiana's higher arthropod capture rate,
faeces covered a large part of this species’ nutrient demand as well,
suggesting low costs for outsourcing. Synthesis. Outsourcing prey capture
and digestion to the mutualism partner seems to be a beneficial strategy
for N. hemsleyana. It may explain the evolutionary trend of several
carnivorous plants to lose their carnivorous traits while increasing their
attractiveness to mutualistic partners. On a much broader scale, we
propose that ecological outsourcing could be one of the major drivers for
the evolution and maintenance of mutualisms.
Schöner et al. (2016) J. Ecol. DataSchöner et al._Data.xlsx
Malyasia
Sarawak
Brunei Darussalam