Tepui Endemism - Hydroplaning - Enzyme Loss
The genus Heliamphora is restricted to the summits of the Tepuis (tabletop mountains) in Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil. These isolated environments, often called "islands in the sky," experience torrential rainfall and nutrient-poor sandstone soils. To survive the deluge, Heliamphora evolved a unique overflow pore (a slit in the pitcher wall) that regulates the fluid level, preventing the trap from becoming too heavy or washing away captured prey.
Evolutionarily, Heliamphora is considered more primitive than Sarracenia. Remarkably, most species produce no digestive enzymes of their own. Instead, they rely entirely on a commensal community of bacteria to break down the prey. The inner surface of the pitcher is lined with fine, downward-pointing hairs that create an "aquaplaning" effect when wet, ensuring that insects lose their footing and slide into the bacterial broth below.
