Living on the Edge: A Look Into the Evolutionary History of the Pitcher Plant Fly and Other Arthropods That Make Their Homes in Carnivorous Plants by Peter Kann
Living on the Edge: a look into the evolutionary history of the pitcher plant fly and other arthropods that make their homes in carnivorous plants webinar by Peter Kann which was hosted on Thursday, May 6, 2021.
Pitcher plants in the genus Sarracenia are renown for their carnivory, trapping insect prey in their pitfall-like, tubular leaves. Despite their predatory nature, these traps have become home to a community of arthropods that depend on them to complete one or more stages of their life cycles. This diverse community includes representatives from the orders Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Araneae, Diptera, and others. Of the two dipteran genera that inhabit the pitchers, only one shows species-level host fidelity. This is the genus Fletcherimyia, the pitcher plant flies, all of which are obligate associates of Sarracenia pitcher plants. These flies deposit their young directly into the pitchers, where they mature and feed on the plant's prey. The eight species within the genus, including the Maine native Fletcherimyia fletcheri, are currently described using morphological data, and their relationships with their hosts are based on adult fly behavior. Here I use molecular data to assess those morphological species constructs, as well as incorporate observations of larval plant usage to update fly/pitcher relationships. Larvae, bound to the pitcher in which they are deposited, are a more reliable predictor of meaningful host relationships than adult flies, which can theoretically alight on multiple plants. Using this data I will also be conducting a biogeographical study of F. fletcheri and its host, Sarracenia purpurea.
Peter Kann is currently a master's student at East Carolina University with Dr. Trip Lamb studying coevolutionary patterns between insects and carnivorous plants. A lifelong aficionado of insects and a recent boarder of the botanical bandwagon, he loves his research and the opportunities that it brings to visit unique ecosystems across the country. Through the course of this study he has been able to visit over 60 localities in 14 states, including the beautiful bogs in Maine. Insects and other small organisms are so often overlooked, but are vital to our ecosystem and lead interesting, dramatic lives. Peter hopes to use his research and photography to help tell these stories and increase awareness of these fascinating animals.
When not out in the field, Peter enjoys adding to his pinned insect collection and spending time with his girlfriend (also a biologist, a doctoral student studying freshwater trematodes) and their many pets. Living in their apartment are a cat, several species of poison frog, millipedes, beetles, and spiders, to name a few. When you love your work it's hard not to bring it home with you!
