The Science
The Nepenthes lowii is a pitcher plant endemic to a few peaks on the island of Borneo and was first discovered by Hugh Low in 1851 on Mount Kinabalu. Its typical habitat is on a thick layer of peat moss over sandstone, granite or limestone substrates. Although many pitcher plants are known to be carnivorous, the N. lowii appears to have undergone an adaptation; Charles Clarke found significant amounts of animal excrement within the pitchers. While feeding on the nectar found on the lids of the pitchers, the treeshrew (Tupaia montana, length 15-33cm) frequently defecates inside the pitchers. They do this by sitting on the rim or peristome of the pitcher (length 15cm, width 9cm). The image shows the characteristic "toilet"- shape of this species. Studies on the foliar nitrogen of N. lowii confirm its origin from treeshrew droppings. Treeshrew are dichromats and the colour of the inner lid of the pitchers stands out in high contrast to the Tupaia montana’s visual sensitivity which are in the blue and green wavebands.
Many pitchers perished from the summit trail of Mount Kinabalu during the El Nino in 1997-1998 as well as from summit-climbing activities. N. lowii is listed as Vulnerable on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
References
Clarke, C.M. 1997. Nepenthes of Borneo. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu.
Clarke, C.M., U. Bauer, C.C. Lee, A.A. Tuen, K. Rembold & J.A. Moran 2009. Tree shrew lavatories: a novel nitrogen sequestration strategy in a tropical pitcher plant. Biology Letters 5(5): 632-635.
Clarke, C.M., Cantley, R. Nerz, J, Rischer H., Witsuba A. 2000. “Nepenthes lowii”. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN.
The Artist
Azida Zainal is a poet whose work has been featured in anthologies such as Pivot and Pause and Faces of Womanhood. She is also a watercolour artist and loves to recreate landscapes and flowers on paper. She has always been fascinated by biological systems and found her vocation as an ENT Surgeon. She shares her poetry and art @azzy501.
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