Project: Moisture vs. VFT

[Api]

So for a language arts project I am supposed to figure out how a VFT adapts to different moisture levels. I'm pretty sure that its to prove that we know how to research, so I chose something I love. For example, what if the VFT suddenly is exposed to desert-type climate. Also the same with a tropical climate. If you fine people on this forum kindly link me to a couple of sources showing this type of information. Thank you.

Brennan

 

[defiantNX]

I haven't seen any information about this but something tells me the vft wouldn't adapt to a desert-type climate, that it would just die.

 

[Api]

Yeah, well you and I would know that. I really just need some citations.

 

[Not a Number]

I think the best you're going to find is Roberts and Oosting's paper "Responses of Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) to Factors involved in Its Endemism". They looked at the soil composition and populations of flytraps that had been transplanted. This included a population that was continuously submerged.

You can download it from JStor for $14.00. If you know someone with a JStor account (public libraries are a good bet) you might be able to download it for free.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1942208

Search the forum for "Oosting", I've quoted parts of the paper before.

You can do a citation search and see what other authors have cited Roberts and Oosting. There might be something else relevant.

 

[RobinGordon]

The humidity here is regularly under 10%REL during the day and I'm growing VFTs outside with no problem.

As a comparison, the state airport is currently 7%, and the Moomba airport is 8%. Moomba is just south of the Sturt Stony Desert.

EDIT: and I live nearish to the state airport. Near enough for humidity measures anyway.

EDIT2: and now that I've read the question again, I can see this isn't about humidity. lol.

I went away to Melbourne for four days last week and all the CPs that I have dried out completely. They seem fine though. They would have been dry for 3 days I guess - it was very hot on the second day. BUT they are usually quite wet.

 

[Not a Number]

The Roberts and Oosting paper looked at one population in hot dry areas. These would go into a kind of dormancy to survive the hottest periods of summer.

 

[defiantNX]

I've heard of sarracenia in florida going into a summer dormancy during the hottest parts of the summer.

 

[Api]

Wow. Thanks guys, this is a lot more info than I expected.

 

[BioZest]

Maybe you will have to do some testing, for science...
I feel the aperture science theme coming on...
*aperture science,
we do what we must because we can...*