Botanical carnivory: Hungry plants and their salamander prey

Botanical carnivory: New research published by Algonquin Wildlife Research Station student Patrick Moldowan (University of Toronto, Canada), Alex Smith (University of Guelph, Canada), Njal Rollinson (University of Toronto), and colleagues (Teskey Baldwin, Tim Bartley, Hannah Wynen, University of Guelph) demonstrate a sinister side of the plant world. This video shows two young Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) trapped in the pitcher of a Northern Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea), a carnivorous plant that lives in nutrient-poor bogs. Salamanders for supper? Yes! Video by: Patrick D. Moldowan Full findings at: Moldowan, P. D., Alex Smith, M. , Baldwin, T. , Bartley, T. , Rollinson, N. and Wynen, H. (2019, in press), Nature’s pitfall trap: Salamanders as rich prey for carnivorous plants in a nutrient‐poor northern bog ecosystem. Ecology #Salamander #Amphibian #Wildlife #AlgonquinPark #CarnivorousPlant #PicherPlant #FieldBiology #Ecology #Bog