University of North Florida UNF Digital Commons All Volumes (2001-2008) The sprO ey Journal of Ideas and Inquiry 2002 Baseline Study of the Hooded Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia minor): Its Utility as an Indicator Species of Freshwater Wetland Habitats Dawn Beaulac University of North Florida Justin Walguamery University of North Florida Ryan Meyer University of North Florida Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unf.edu/ojii_volumes Part of the Life Sciences Commons Suggested Citation Beaulac, Dawn; Walguamery, Justin; and Meyer, Ryan, "Baseline Study of the Hooded Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia minor): Its Utility as an Indicator Species of Freshwater Wetland Habitats" (2002). All Volumes (2001-2008). 120. http://digitalcommons.unf.edu/ojii_volumes/120 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The sprO ey Journal of Ideas and Inquiry at UNF Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Volumes (2001-2008) by an authorized administrator of UNF Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Digital Projects. © 2002 All Rights Reserved Baseline Study of the Hooded enhance the landscape. However, bogs and Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia minor): seepage savannas are very fragile its utility as an indicator species of ecosystems that are highly susceptible to human disturbances. Because most freshwater wetland habitats wetlands serve as collection sites for larger drainage basins, human activities well Dawn Beaulac, Justin Walguamery and beyond the borders of the wetland can Ryan Meyer cause irreversible damage. In addition to outright destruction, humans have impacted Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Anthony Rossi wetlands by altering their hydrology, Assistant Professor of Biology introducing pollutants from point and non­ point sources, and facilitating the establishment of exotic species, which may Abstract out compete native plants and animals. Unfortunately, wetlands (which occupy The hooded pitcher plant, Sarracenia approximately 1% of the Earth's surface) minor, is an important member of bog have been destroyed or degraded to an and seepage savanna communities of the alarming degree. Between 1780-1980 southeastern United States. approximately 53% of all U.S. wetlands Unfortunately these wetland were lost. In 1984, in an effort to limit their communities have been damaged and are further exploitation and destruction, Florida disappearing at an alarming rate. The officially recognized the importance of goal of this study was to collect baseline wetlands with the passage of the Warren S. data, which will be ultimately used to Henderson Wetlands Protection Act, which develop a model of the survivorship, regulates construction and dredge or fill growth rate, morphology and population activities conducted in the waters of Florida. dynamics of four populations of An important step in protecting Sarracenia minor. The model will assess remaining wetlands is regular long-term the effects of several environmental monitoring. Traditional wetland monitoring factors on changes in the morphology programs, which utilize physical and and population dynamics of S. minor on chemical sampling, can be time consuming the UNF campus. Measurements on the and expensive to implement. However, one survival, growth and morphology of S. inexpensive monitoring technique involves minor from four populations were the use of indicator species to assess collected monthly. In addition, ecosystem health. Indicator species are population-level changes in survival and typically plant or animal species that are recruitment were also monitored sensitive to changes in environmental monthly using permanent field plots. conditions and, as a result, can be very effective in monitoring the long-term stability of an ecological community Introduction (Primack 1998). Indicators can be used independently or in conjunction with other Wetlands are crucial ecosystems that assessment methods. Before a species can serve several important functions for be used as an indicator, conservationists surrounding habitats. Wetlands provide must first describe its life history and nurseries for many fish species, aid in flood ecological requirements. control, purify water that percolates through The goal of this study was to collect their soils, serve as a habitat for a unique baseline data on the natural history of the flora and fauna (induding several hooded pitcher plant, Sarracenia minor, and endangered species) and they generally determine if this species is suitable as an Osprey Journal of Ideas and Inquiry 17 indicator species for freshwater wetlands in of the hood are special non-pigmented the southeastern United States. Plants often spots called areolae. Light enters the pitcher make very good indicator species because through the areolae, apparently causing they are sessile, which greatly facilitates prey caught inside to become confused. long-term monitoring because their exact Insects and other prey, which attempt to location is known to the researcher. exit the pitcher through the areolae, continue to bump into the back of the hood Methods until they tire and fall into the funnel of the pitcher. Once inside the funnel, small Sarracenia minor invertebrate prey are unlikely to escape Although bog soil is typically low in because the inner walls are covered with available nitrogen (which is often the downward pointing "hairs" that cause the limiting element for growth in plants), the insects to slip down into funnel which hooded pitcher plant, S. minor, is contains a small volume of water. carnivorous and, as a result, it can Eventually the prey will become exhausted supplement its nitrogen intake by capturing and drown in the water held in the base of and digesting invertebrate prey (Gotsch and the funnel where they are digested. Ellison 1998). Although several orders of Pitcher plants also produce non-pitcher insects are captured by pitcher plants, (exclusively photosynthetic) leaves called including Orthoptera (crickets and phyllodia, which are generally shorter than grasshoppers), Diptera (flies), Coleoptera the pitchers. The growth morphology of (beetles); Hymenoptera (in particular ants) Sarracenia minor is highly variable; some were numerically the most abundant prey plants only have pitchers, while some item (Jaffe et al. 1992). Once captured by only have phyllodia; others possess both the pitcher, enzymes secreted by the plant pitchers and phyllodia. Leaves sprout as well as those produced by bacteria found from underground rhizomes and the total in the pitcher digest the prey. Because the number of leaves per plant ranges from enzymes breakdown the soft, inner tissues one to several hundred. Rhizomes produce of invertebrates, but do not digest the small rosettes (clumps of leaves) that are resistant, chitinous exoskeleton, a detailed often located a few centimeters from each assessment of prey items can be made by other and the "parent" plant (Schwaegerle dissection of the pitcher. Nutrients obtained 1983). Although most reproduction appears from the digested prey are absorbed from to be through the spread of vegetative the pitcher and translocated to the rest of rhizomes, seeds can also add new recruits the plant (Jaffe et al. 1992). to a population. Sarracenia minor has a highly variable growth rate and morphology, both of which Study Site are affected by environmental conditions. Demographic and morphological data The pitcher of S. minor is a modified leaf, were collected from randomly sampled and pitchers of a healthy plant are erect. plants from four populations of S. minor in The pitcher is shaped into a funnel with the the UNF nature preserve. Three of these anterior end covered by a hood. The lip of populations designated as North, East, and the funnel is thicker than the rest of the Soccer Field are relatively close in pitcher and is referred to as the nectar roll proximity at the northern end of campus. because it secretes a sweet substance, The East and North sites are under a partial which attracts insects (its main prey). The tree canopy and have light groundcover; external ventral side of the pitcher is called however, the Soccer Field site has few trees the wing or ala and it runs from the tip of and the ground receives much more the nectar roll to the base of the pitcher. incident light and it is mostly covered with Opposite the nectar roll on the dorsal side grasses. The fourth population (designated 18 Osprey Journal of Ideas and Inquiry as South) is located near the southern edge each pitcher was counted and, since each of the campus and is situated in a much beetle has two, the number of elytra was drier habitat. A road built for the Golf halved to estimate the number of beetles. Management and Learning Center (GMLC) Dipterans were also commonly found in is less than 10m away from the South pitchers, but they were mostly whole population in some places. Large pines and when found and could be directly counted. loblolly bay trees, which have encroached Other prey items were noted and identified on this site, have covered the ground with a when possible. deep layer of leaf litter (up to 30 cm deep in some locations). All four sites are Soil Moisture seasonally flooded a few months each year. Soil moisture data has been collected each month beginning in May of 1999. The Morphological Data Collection soil samples from the North and Soccer Morphological data was collected each Field sites were collected using transects month beginning in March of 1999. The and soil samples were collected at lO-m sample size for each population used in the intervals. However, at the South site, morphological study was 35, 34, 35, and 34 individuals were so dispersed that transects for the North, East, Soccer Field, and South were not feasible. In the areas where sites, respectively. For each individual, transects could not be used, permanent measurements of several morphological sampling stations were established within characters were collected including: 1 m of individual plants. The number of number of pitchers, height of the tallest soil sampling stations in each pitcher plant pitcher (cm), number of flowers per plant, population ranged from 6 (East) to 13 and percent damage, which was determined (South).