FlyTrapCare Forums

Curious, carnivorous plants survive in very nutrient deficient areas, I know. Butttttt, how are the jungles "nutrient poor?"

I'm watching a Nepenthese exploration in the Philippines, and you SEE the jungle floors where they find them, they are coo over ed in debris, how is that poor quality? Thank you

The layer of compost (i.e. decaying leaves, debris) on a jungle bottom is incredibly thin compared to most deciduous forests or any other biomes that support agricultural sustainability. Underneath this thin layer is clay and other hard rock layers that provide little to no nutrients. The reason why jungles can support a diverse array of organisms is attributed to the fact that many species interact with one another to recycle the already limited amount of nutrients in rapid succession.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Nepenthes are much more tolerant of soil and water nutrients than other CPs, likely due to that environment. Remember though, just because there's debris doesn't mean it's releasing tons of nutrients into the soil.

Nimbulan is correct. Organic debris cannot be neutralized into usable nutrients (nitrates, nitrites, and other amine and nitrogen isomeric compounds) without the presence of detritivores and decomposers in the given environment.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So, the fact that everything eats each other limits the breakdown?

In the case of a jungle biome, the complexity of the hierarchy of organisms (decomposers to apex predators) enables the recycling of nutrients to be maintained at a constant and rapid rate. Metabolism is the defining limit to nutrient recycling.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

DrNo7 wrote:In the case of a jungle biome, the complexity of the hierarchy of organisms (decomposers to apex predators) enables the recycling of nutrients to be maintained at a constant and rapid rate. Metabolism is the defining limit to nutrient recycling.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Interesting thanks

DrNo7 wrote:In the case of a jungle biome, the complexity of the hierarchy of organisms (decomposers to apex predators) enables the recycling of nutrients to be maintained at a constant and rapid rate. Metabolism is the defining limit to nutrient recycling.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Interesting thanks

In tropical rain-forests, the top layer is extremely well drained, regardless if it's decaying matter, constant input of rainwater and drainage keep out any micro or plant macro nutrients. Keep in mind that 90% of the nitrogen in tropical rainforests is bound up in the tree canopy and is extremely slow to recycle into the actual system.

I disagree about the biodegrading layer being shallow (in many of the southeast Asia cases) There is often no layer or a cakey decaying layer ranging from negligible to several inches, and after most neps will grow epiphytically; on banks or forest edges, and sometimes under full canopy.

Another argument in terms of all carnivorous plants, regardless of the substrate; the hydrology (fancy word for water+geology) dictates the sequestration or temporal existence of nutrients in the top soil. Some sources of nitrogen or other nutrients may be breaking down rapidly and entering water in a soluble form (most times they don't), but the nutrient is simply leached off with the exiting water, or in the case of SE U.S. often electronically interacts with the soils and bacteria becoming unavailable for uptake, chelation, or root contact.