News in ecophysiological research on aquatic Utricularia traps

Abstract

Aquatic carnivorous plants comprise the species Aldrovanda vesiculosa L. (Droseraceae) and about 50 species of the genus Utricularia L. (Lentibulariaceae). Aquatic Utricularia species usually grow in shallow, standing humic waters which are usually poor in N and P, but occasionally also in K. Although they take up all necessary nutrients either directly from the water by their rootless shoots or from animal prey by traps, under favorable conditions, they exhibit very rapid apical shoot growth of 3-4 leaf nodes d-1, while their shoot bases decay at this same high rate.