Commensals of Nepenthes pitchers

Carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants contain aquatic ecosystems within each fluid-filled pitcher. Communities of arthropods and microbes colonize pitcher pools, and some organisms are endemic to the pitcher habitat. Flies and mites are the most apparent colonizers, and together with numerous protists, fungi, and bacteria, they form a food web of predators, decomposers, and primary producers. Bacterial diversity and composition are correlated strongly with fluid pH. Closely related organisms co-occur within pitchers, suggesting that competition is not the primary structuring force of pitcher communities. Pitchers are ephemeral habitats when compared with surrounding soil, and the former communities have fewer organisms and are less predictable than the latter. It is still unknown to what extent pitcher plants and their inhabitants influence one another’s fitness.