Litter-trapping plants: Filter-feeders of the plant kingdom

Abstract

Litter-trapping plants have specialized growth habits and morphologies that enable them to capture falling leaf litter and other debris, which the plants use for nutrition after the litter has decayed. Litter is trapped via rosettes of leaves, specially modified leaves and/or upward-growing roots (so-called 'root baskets'). Litter-trappers, both epiphytic and terrestrial, are found throughout the tropics, with only a few extra-tropical species, and they have evolved in many plant families. The trapped litter mass is a source of nutrients for litter-trapping plants, as well as food and housing for commensal organisms. Despite their unique mode of life, litter-trapping plants are not well documented, and many questions remain about their distribution, physiology and evolution.