2026-10-10T23:30:23Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/32592003 2026-09-12T17:13:19Z category_24217 category_24220 category_24235 category_24391 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Data and code associated with the publication "Aboveground roots, underground roles: Aerial nutrient acquisition dominates in a terrestrial litter-trapper" Tháles Augusto Coralli Pereira (20660294) R.S. (Rafael) Oliveira (9168755) Simone Vieira (24135370) Gustavo Q. Romero (10874210) Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology) Ecological physiology Terrestrial ecology Plant physiology adventitious roots ants Atlantic Forest leaf longevity myrmecophyte myrmecotrophy Ouratea verticillata stable isotopes trash-basket plants tropical forest <p dir="ltr">This collection contains the data and code associated with the publication "Aboveground roots, underground roles: Aerial nutrient acquisition dominates in a terrestrial litter-trapper" by Tháles A. C. Pereira, Rafael S. Oliveira, Simone A. Vieira, and Gustavo Q. Romero.</p><p dir="ltr">This study describes a highly specialized terrestrial litter-trapper from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and documents an unexpected nutrient-acquisition strategy in a rooted terrestrial plant. Although rooted in the ground, Ouratea verticillata appears to rely predominantly on nutrient acquisition occurring above the soil surface through a highly developed adventitious root system intertwined with the humic material derived from trapped detritus and through a close association with minute ants inhabiting this material.</p><p dir="ltr">This work originated from natural history observations initiated in 2006, when leaves of O. verticillata individuals were marked in the field. Revisiting these plants nearly a decade later revealed remarkable leaf longevity, with some leaves remaining attached and apparently functional after 9 years. Combined with subsequent field observations, stable isotope experiments, and chemical analyses, these findings revealed an exceptional degree of litter-trapper specialization and showed that the humus accumulated along the stem of these plants contributes far more strongly than surrounding soil to plant nitrogen acquisition.</p> 2026-09-12T17:13:19Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.32592003.v2 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Data_and_code_associated_with_the_publication_Aboveground_roots_underground_roles_Aerial_nutrient_acquisition_dominates_in_a_terrestrial_litter-trapper_/32592003 CC BY 4.0