Evolutionary ecology of carnivorous plants

After more than a century of being regarded as botanical oddities, carnivor ous plants have emerged as model systems that are appropriate for addressin g a wide array of ecological and evolutionary questions. Now that reliable molecular phylogenies are available for many carnivorous plants, they can b e used to study convergences and divergences in ecophysiology and life-hist ory strategies. Cost-benefit models and demographic analysis can provide in sight into the selective forces promoting carnivory. Important areas for fu ture research include the assessment of the interaction between nutrient av ailability and drought tolerance among carnivorous plants, as well as measu rements of spatial and temporal variability in microhabitat characteristics that might constrain plant growth and fitness. In addition to addressing e volutionary convergence, such studies must take into account the evolutiona ry diversity of carnivorous plants and their wide variety of life forms and habitats. Finally, carnivorous plants have suffered from historical overco llection, and their habitats are vanishing rapidly. A major focus of future research on this exciting group of plants should be directed towards strat egies for their conservation and management.