Data from: Complex inter-kingdom interactions: carnivorous plants affect growth of an aquatic vertebrate

1. Coexistence of organisms in nature is more likely when phenotypic
similarities of individuals are reduced. Despite the lack of similarity,
distantly related taxa still compete intensely for shared resources. No
larger difference between organisms that share a common prey could exist
than between carnivorous plants and animals. However, few studies have
considered inter-Kingdom competition among carnivorous plants and animals.
2. In order to evaluate interactions between a carnivorous plant (greater
bladderwort, EUtricularia vulgaris) and a vertebrate (bluegill%, Lepomis
macrochirus) on a shared prey (zooplankton), we conducted a mesocosm
experiment. We deployed two levels of bladderwort presence (functional and
crushed) and measured bluegill responses (survival and growth). 3.
Zooplankton abundance was reduced the greatest in bluegill and functional
bladderworts treatments. Bluegill survival did not differ among
treatments, but growth was greatest with crushed bladderwort. Thus
bluegill growth was facilitated by reducing interference competition in
the presence of crushed bladderwort. The facilitating effect was dampened,
however, when functional bladderwort removed a shared prey. 4.To our
knowledge, this is one of the first studies to experimentally demonstrate
interactions between a carnivorous plant and a fish. Our data suggests
that carnivorous plants may actively promote or reduce animal
co-occurrence from some ecosystems via facilitation or competition.