title: Detection of methanogenic archaea in the pitchers of the Northern pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea ).
abstract: Carnivorous plants of the genus  Sarracenia  rely on microorganisms in their pitchers to decompose drowned insects. The environment inside pitchers is considered to be aerobic; however, there might be zones, such as at the bottom of the pitcher, where anaerobic conditions develop. Samples of the sediment at the bottom of  Sarracenia purpurea  pitchers were analyzed for the presence of archaea, using PCR and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Archaeal DNA was detected in 20% of sampled pitchers. All sequences were closely related to  Methanobrevibacter . Therefore, pitchers may contain anoxic zones inhabited by methanogens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.forename: Peter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Kourtev
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001105:Archaea / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001483:Base Sequence; D019641:DNA, Archaeal; D017753:Ecosystem; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D052583:Sarraceniaceae / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D019641:DNA, Archaeal; D008697:Methane