Effects of the Pitcher Plant Mining Moth Exyra semicrocea on the Hooded Pitcher Plant Sarracenia Minor

Abstract

The relationship between carnivorous pitcher plants (Family Sarraceniaceae) is not well understood. While a limited amount of such data are available for some pitcher plant species such as Sarracenia purpurea, very little is know about others such as S. minor. This study examined the relationship between the hooded pitcher plant S. minor and its most common herbivore, the pitcher plant mining moth Exyra semicrocea, in northeast Florida. At the beginning of the growing season, moth densities were positively correlated with plant height, number of pitchers per plant and the proportion of non-pitcher leaves. Over the growing season, plants with higher moth densities decreased in size, while plants with lower moth densities increased. Plants with higher moth densities also produced fewer phyllodia than plants with fewer moths. Data from this study suggest that herbivory by E. semicrocea moth larvae may have a significant negative impact on the hooded pitcher plant and that this effect could be stronger for larger higher quality plants.