Assimilation of Cd and Cu by the carnivorous plant Sarracenia leucophylla raf. fed contaminated prey.

Many species of carnivorous plants have become endangered through exposure to multiple risks such as habitat loss, illegal poaching, and pollution. A potential threat to these plants posed by pollution stems from the contamination of their invertebrate prey with trace metals. This study examined the potential for prey to act as sources of the trace metals Cd and Cu for the pitcher plant Sarracenia leucophylla. Cd- and Cu-contaminated Diptera larvae were fed to S. leucophylla plants in separate experiments. The results demonstrated that Cd and Cu were readily transferred to the shoots of S. leucophylla in a dose-dependent manner. While the assimilation of Cu decreased with treatment level, the assimilation of Cd did not. Some assimilated Cu appeared to be translocated to the roots, but Cd was strongly retained in the shoots, where it was related to a reduction in shoot biomass. This suggested that on exposure to Cd-contaminated prey, the plants either experienced phytotoxicity or there was disruption of nutrient acquisition from the prey. Accumulation of Cu was not related to any sign of phytotoxicity.