Natural abundance of stable isotopes reveals the diversity of carnivorous plant diets

Abstract

Ever since carnivorous plants were first described and studied by early naturalists (e.g., Darwin 1875), there has been continued interest in the relationship between the uptake of nutrients from invertebrate prey and the growth and performance of these plants. Although it is now thought that multiple nutrients appear to limit the growth of most carnivorous plants (Ellison 2006), of particular interest has been nitrogen (N), as many studies have shown that carnivorous plants can obtain extra N from the digestion of their prey.