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A pine woods tree frog sits perched on the lip of a yellow pitcher plant at night in a pocossin swamp along the coastal plain of North Carolina Yellow pitcher plants are an insectivorous species of plant found in low nutrient soils all across North America. Interestingly, they also happen to have a symbiotic relationship with various species of frogs as well. The way this works is that the pitcher plant lures in insects by both the smell of the liquid inside of the pitcher plant and also the promise of water. The liquid that accumulates at the bottom of the pitcher plant is full of digestive enzymes that the plant then uses to break down the bodies of any unsuspecting insects that fall for this trap. However, from time to time a frog, such as this pinewoods tree frog can be found inside of the pitcher plant exploiting all of the pitcher plant's hard work of luring in the insects. At face value, you would think this is just a matter of the frog parasitizing the pitcher plant. However, as it turns out, the pitcher plant actually benefits from helping the frog. The frog eats the insects that come in and is then able to digest the insect much faster than the plant ever could. And as a result, the frog then excretes a steady supply of nitrogen and other nutrients the plant is looking for by luring in insects to begin with. Being that the frog has done the hard work of digestion, the plant can then more readily make use of those nutrients after they have been processed by the frog. Photo by Jared Lloyd

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© Jared Lloyd
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Keywords
Contained in galleries
Overview, Amphibians and Reptiles
A pine woods tree frog sits perched on the lip of a yellow pitcher plant at night in a pocossin swamp along the coastal plain of North Carolina Yellow pitcher plants are an insectivorous species of plant found in low nutrient soils all across North America. Interestingly, they also happen to have a symbiotic relationship with various species of frogs as well. The way this works is that the pitcher plant lures in insects by both the smell of the liquid inside of the pitcher plant and also the promise of water. The liquid that accumulates at the bottom of the pitcher plant is full of digestive enzymes that the plant then uses to break down the bodies of any unsuspecting insects that fall for this trap. However, from time to time a frog, such as this pinewoods tree frog can be found inside of the pitcher plant exploiting all of the pitcher plant's hard work of luring in the insects. At face value, you would think this is just a matter of the frog parasitizing the pitcher plant. However, as it turns out, the pitcher plant actually benefits from helping the frog. The frog eats the insects that come in and is then able to digest the insect much faster than the plant ever could. And as a result, the frog then excretes a steady supply of nitrogen and other nutrients the plant is looking for by luring in insects to begin with. Being that the frog has done the hard work of digestion, the plant can then more readily make use of those nutrients after they have been processed by the frog. Photo by Jared Lloyd