Ten Things I Like About... Podcast

Nepenthes: Time to Eat

Summary: Do plants eat meat? Yes they do! Join Kiersten as she discusses the diet of Nepenthes which includes more than just meat.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean
 
Show Notes:
“Caught in a Trap,” The Biologist 62(2) p12-14.
“Nepenthes lowii: the carnivorous plant that evolved into a toilet,” by Paul Simons. The Guardian, April 2023. https://www.theguardian.com
“Bats Are Acoustically Attracted to Mutualistic Carnivorous Plants,” by Michael G. Schoner, Caroline R Schoner, Ralph Simon, T. Ulmar Grafe, Sebastian J. Puechmaille, Liaw Lin Ji, Gerald Kerth. Current Biology, Volume 25, Issue 14, 20 July 2015, Pgs 1911-1916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.054
Music written and performed by Katherine Camp
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
The fourth thing I like about Nepenthes is its diet. These are not your typical plants. Sunlight is not the only thing on the menu.
I have spoken of a portion of the diet in the previous episodes, so we all know that Nepenthes eats meat. But before we jump into that portion of their diet let’s look at the other half of their diet. It’s this half that led to the need for the meat eating side of Nepenthes nutrition.
Nepenthes is like other plants that use photosynthesis to grow. I don’t know about all of you listeners, but it has been a minute since 6th grade science class, so here is a refresher on how photosynthesis works. 
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create sugars that they can utilize to survive. Plants take in carbon dioxide through small holes in the leaves, stems, flowers, and other parts of the plant. They will combine that with water, usually absorbed through the roots, and sunlight. The sunlight is the energy that helps the plant combine the carbon dioxide and the water together to create glucose which they use as food to grow big and strong.
If they only need those three things, what’s up with the soil? Soil offers plants minerals that they need to boost their health and growth.  Plants can live without it but to reproduce successfully they need an extra kick. The need for this extra kick is why Nepenthes evolved to eat meat. 
Most Nepenthes species grow in nutrient poor soil or no soil at all. So they evolved to get the extra minerals they need from another source. 
How do you catch prey if you don’t have teeth or claws and you are rooted in place? Well, you bring the prey to you! Nepenthes developed pitcher traps to attract and catch prey without having to use teeth and claws or roam about searching for prey. The pitcher develops from tendrils that grow as the plant matures. Tendrils will emerge from the midline of leaves and as it matures the tip of the tendril will begin to inflate with air. Once it has inflated to the desired size, which depends on the species and whether it is a lower pitcher or an aerial pitcher, it will fill with liquid. The top of the pitcher will pop open when the pitcher is ready for use. 
The pitchers of Nepenthes are classified as pitfall traps. This means that they are relying on insects falling into the pitcher and getting stuck inside. A pitfall trap is a trap that something falls into and cannot climb the walls to get out. So, how does this work for the Nepenthes pitcher?
The pitcher will attract insects with the scent of pollen. Insects will investigate the trap searching for the source of the smell. There is no pollen to be found inside the pitcher so the insects will turn to leave and discover that they cannot. As they try to climb out, the waxy lining of the pitcher will flake away leaving the insect struggling to get out. But no upward motion is possible and the prey item eventually falls into the liquid at the bottom of the pitcher.
The liquid is mainly water until prey falls in and sloshes the water around as it attempts to get out. The vibrations created by the struggle stimulate digestive glands which release a digestive acid. The acid is so strong that an insect the size of a midge will disappear completely within hours. Nepenthes rajah, one of the largest Nepenthes species, can digest mice!
What are they getting from these digested insects and mammals? Nitrogen and phosphorus which are vital minerals for the healthy growth of the plant. Those of you that are gardeners probably recognize those elements as being important to plant survival. If you supplement your gardens with fertilizer the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus are extremely important. 
Let’s take a closer look at a specific Nepenthes species’s hunting strategy. Nepenthes rafflesiana produces two different pitchers, upper and lower, like many pitches plants do. The uppers pitchers specialize in attracting flying insects while the lower pitchers focus on terrestrial insects.
The upper pitchers are narrow and release fragrant compounds that mimic the scent of flowers. This attracts a wide range of rainforest pollinators that mistake the scent for a good snack. They will enter the pitcher in search of the source of the aroma and come in contact with sticky polysaccharides that coat the wings rendering them useless. The insects can’t fly out and fall into the liquid to be digested.
The lower pitchers of Nepenthes rafflesiana use a lining of wax crystals to trap terrestrial insects. It attracts mainly ants. When the ants enter the pitcher the wax crystals attach to the ant’s feet preventing them from climbing out of the pitcher. It clings to the feet causing them to slip along the surface of the pitcher leading them to the liquid death below.
Some Nepenthes are generalists and are happy to take whatever they can get in their traps, but remember competition for pollinators is fierce so some spices have become specialists. Nepenthes albomarginata has a band of white hairs just below the rim of its pitchers. These hairs are bait for termites. And this Nepenthes sure knows how to do it right. It can catch 20 termites per minute during a frenzied feast.
Okay, now we’re going to talk about what inspired me to report on Nepenthes for my podcast. Remember in the first episode when I said these plants fed on something unusual that gives a whole new twist on the term “potty mouth”? Well, here we go!
Nepenthes rajah can digest mice and rats, but that’s not what it’s really shooting for when it attracts these animals. What is really wants is the rodents poop. Yep, that’s right it wants the rodent to use its pitcher as a potty. The feces of these animals is high in nitrogen  and much easier to digest than the body of an insect or mammal. 
Nepenthes lowii was the species that caught my eye when I was researching unusual plants. This plant has large pitchers that have evolved to attract mountain tree shrews that slip into the pitcher to lick a fatty substance that oozes from the lip of the pitcher. The shrew balance on the edge of the pitcher and as they eat they leave behind a deposit. There is some speculation that the substance emitted by the pitcher my have a laxative component that ensures the animal leaves behind a deposit before the depart. 
Nepenthes hemsleyana attracts a specific animal to roost in its pitchers so it can collect poo all day long. The lid of this plant’s pitcher is shaped specifically to reflect bat echolocation frequencies. Bats such as Hardwicke’s Wooly Bat use echolocation to find acceptable day roosts. They search for the right reflection from a plant structure to indicate an acceptable daytime roost. Nepenthes hemsleyana had evolved to reflect the correct frequency luring the bat in to roost throughout the day. The bat will poop as they sleep the day away and the plant will catch it in the pitcher. Talk about a Bed and Breakfast!
Can you believe it! This plant is so amazing!! I can go on about Nepenthes diets, but I’ve run over time already. I’m so glad you joined me for this episode of Nepenthes because my fourth favorite thing, honestly my most favorite thing, about them is their diet.
If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 
Join me next week for another episode about Nepenthes.    
 
(Piano Music plays) 
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Nepenthes: Life Cycle

Summary: How do Nepenthes become big strong plants? Join Kiersten as she walks through the stages of Nepenthes life cycle.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean
 
Show Notes:
Nepenthes. Wikipedia (This page is well referenced).
”Pitcher Plant: Tropical Pitcher Plants-Nepenthes sp.” The North Creek Wetland, https://www.uwb.edu
Tropical Pitcher Plant-Nepenthes. Carnivorous Plant Resource. https://www.carnivorousplantresourcs.com
Nepenthes Phylogeny, International Carnivorous Plant Society. https://www.carnivorousplants.org
Music written and performed by Katherine Camp
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
The eighth episode of Unbelievable Unknown Plants is also the third episode of Nepenthes and the third thing I like about this supercool plant is its life cycle.
Now, I’m sure you remember the unusual life cycle of Rafflesia from previous episodes, boy that was a fun episode. Nepenthes is not quite as unusual, but it it still exciting. No laughing, this really is exciting.
It all starts with a meet-cute. A male Nepenthes meets a female Nepenthes, they fall in love, get married, have babies, and live happily ever after. No not really, but Nepenthes are dioecious which means individual plants are either male or female. Mature plants do start off as seeds, unlike Rafflesia they do not rely on a host plant to harbor them until they are ready to bloom. Nepenthes are more like traditional plants that rely on seeds germinating in soil to grow. 
They cannot pollinate themselves, so how do they create seeds? They must rely on a pollinator to get the whole reproduction thing started. Once the plant has matured, flowers will bloom. Both sexes produce flowers. Male’s flowers will produce pollen, while the female’s flowers will have carpels, the reproductive structure. The flowers will grow on a long spike. Several flowers will grow on one spike. The flower spikes are completely different structures from the pitchers that these plants are so well known for.
Pollen needs to get inside the carpel for the reproductive cycle to begin. Nepenthes rely on insects to do the pollinating, but as we discussed with Rafflesia the competition for insect pollinators is fierce, so Nepenthes has targeted non-typical insects to do their bidding. They give off a not-so-sweet smell to attract insects such as blow flies, midges, male mosquitos, and wasps; while also attracting more typical pollinators such as moths and butterflies. 
Before you start scratching your head and wondering how the insects survive a visit to a pitcher plant that eats insects, remember the flowers and the pitchers are two different parts of the Nepenthes plant. The pollinators are not attracted to the pitcher trap they are only attracted to the flowers, so they are safe to drink from the flowers and pick up and deposit pollen without getting eaten. 
Once the female flowers have been pollinated, a four-sided capsule will develop. Inside this capsule is 50 to 500 seeds. The seeds are light in weight with an embryo in the middle and two wings, one on each side. The seeds are distributed by the wind, so the low weight and wings help the seeds travel further away. Hopefully those seeds will settle in appropriate soil to begin the reproductive process all over again.
When they do, the seeds will sprout developing a shallow root system and a climbing stem that can reach several meters long. Along the stems alternate leaves will sprout. These leaves will become the pitchers. A tendril will extend past the end of the leaf at the midrib. This tendril will swell and droop eventually becoming the pitcher.
Most Nepenthes produce two types of pitchers, “lower pitchers” that grow near the ground and “upper pitchers” that grow higher on the plants. The lower pitchers are usually larger and may actually sit on the ground. The upper pitchers also called aerial pitchers are usually smaller and may be a differ color than the lower pitchers. These two types of pitchers can posses different features meaning one plant may have two different types of pitchers. The upper pitchers generally develop as the plant matures and will often create loops in the vine so the plant can hold onto something to help stabilize it.
This is an incredibly cool adaptation, I mean mind-blowingly cool, but it can make identifying species difficult. 
As the pitchers are growing they are developing a hatch on the top of the pitcher. When the pitcher is ready to attract and trap prey, the top pops open and the pitcher will emanate a scent that attracts targeted prey items. The two different types of pitchers that one plant produces often attract different types of prey. That is genius!
I guess the last question about the life cycle of Nepenthes is how long do they live? We don’t have a perfect answer for this yet, but it appears that they can live indefinitely. If they have the right habitat, food resources, and water, they can live forever. That doesn't mean that every Nepenthes plant will live forever. In the wild, they are battling habitat loss, food depletion, broad spectrum herbicide use, and poaching which all impacts their potential life span.  
It also doesn’t mean if you run out and buy one from the store that it will live forever. I know the ones that I brought into my house lasted maybe a year, but I was a novice at caring for them and bought them on a whim. People more knowledgeable than I can encourage them to live a long an healthy life in a home but you have to put some blood, sweat, and tears into it. 
Thanks for joining me for the third episode of Nepenthes because my third favorite thing about them is their life cycle.
 
If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform you’re listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 
Join me next week for another episode about Nepenthes.    
 
(Piano Music plays) 
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Nepenthes: Species

Summary: How many species of Nepenthes are there and where are they found? Join Kiersten as she takes you on a trip to discover the Nepenthes species.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean
 
Show Notes: 
Nepenthes. Wikipedia (This page is well referenced).
“Caught in a Trap,” The Biologist 62(2) p12-14.
Tropical Pitcher Plant-Nepenthes. Carnivorous Plant Resource. https://www.carnivorousplantresourcs.com
Nepenthes Phylogeny, International Carnivorous Plant Society. https://www.carnivorousplants.org
Music written and performed by Katherine Camp
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
The second episode of Nepenthes is all about species and where they are found. They do prefer areas similar to Rafflesia but they are more widespread. 
Let’s start from the beginning with the classification of Nepenthes. We have talked about scientific classification before but as a quick refresher this classification method is used to help determine the number of species within a group of living things. It helps scientists and researchers  determine who is related to whom. It is constantly evolving as classification methods are continually changing. It began with visual similarities between living creatures, then behaviors were incorporated, and with the advent of DNA testing classification has jumped forward and some things have been turned on its ear.
Classification for Nepenthes is a follows:
Kingdom - Planta (Plants)
Subkingdom - Tracheobionta (Vascular Plants)
Superdivision - Spematophyta (Seed Plants)
Division - Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants)
Class - Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)
Subclass - Dilleniidae
Order - Nepenthales
Family - Nepenthaceae
Genus - Nepenthes
Species names will follow genus.
So how many species of Nepenthes are there? To tell you the truth, I’m not totally sure. My research for this episode lead me to sources that said 30 to 35, 140, and as many as 170. The International Carnivore Plant Society says Nepenthes species numbers are in excess of 100. I think we’ll go with that number because it gives a bit of wiggle room. I’m inclined to believe this site because they get crazy scientific when discussing the origins of modern day Nepenthes.
One of the most interesting things I could decipher from this blog is that the modern day Nepenthes genus has no close relatives. So when digging into the evolutionary history of this genus, there are no transitional species that can lead us back to an ancestral beginning. Maybe these wicked cool pitcher plants are so perfect they’ve never evolved from their original template. 
Let’s take a closer look at a few Nepenthes species. One of the largest species of Nepenthes is Nepenthes rajah that grows pitchers large enough to hold 3.5 liters or 1 US gallon of liquid. That’s a pretty big pitcher plant. Nepenthes rajah traps are large enough to drown rats. They are known as the “king of the pitcher plants”. As an aside Nepenthes rajah is also the largest carnivorous plant in the world. 
Nepenthes argentii is considered to be the smallest species of pitcher plants with a pitcher opening of 2-4 millimeters and a pitcher size of 30 cm. That’s a pretty tiny pitcher plant. 
The rarest species of known Nepenthes is Nepenthes clipeata. Only 15 individual plants were known to exist in the wild in 1997. It’s found only on the granite cliff faces of Mount Kelam in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It may very well be extinct today. 
Nepenthes mirabilis is the most widely distributed species of Nepenthes. It is found in Indochina throughout the Malay Archipelago, it is found in China and also Australia. This species varies greatly in color throughout its vast range.
So where are these plants found in the wild? They are mainly found in the Old World Tropics, ranging from South China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. There are two species found in Madagascar and one species found in the Seychelles. Nepenthes are also found in Australia and New Caledonia. India and Sri Lanka also host a few Nepenthes species. The greatest diversity of Nepenthes are found in Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines.
What kind of habitats do Nepenthes favor? Like Rafflesia, many pitcher plants of this species are found in hot, humid lowland rainforests but some are found in other habitats. Many are tropical montane plants found on the side of mountains where they experience warm days and cool to cold, humid nights. Some are tropical alpine species that grow in areas that have cool days and near freezing nights. 
The majority of species are restricted to small ranges within these different habitats. Some of them may only be found on one mountain and no where else, like Nepenthes clipeata. 
Nepenthes species are often classified as lowland species or highland species based on the altitudes at which they grow. Those that grow below 1200 meters or 3900 feet above sea level are considered lowland and thrive with warmer climates that vary little temperature-wise from day to night. Highland species that grow above 1200 meters prefer warm days that bleed into much cooler nights. Nepenthes lamii grows at the highest altitude of any other Nepenthes species, 3520 meters or 11,500 feet above sea level.
Most Nepenthes species tend to be found in environments with high humidity, a lot of precipitation, and moderate to high light levels. Some species have evolved to thrive in dense, shaded forests. Many species do well on the margins of tree and shrub communities or clearings. Some species such as Nepenthes mirabilis have been seen growing in clear-cut forest areas, roadsides, and disturbed fields. There are even species that have adapted to grow in savanna-like grass habitats.
These amazing plants tend to grow in acidic soils that boast little nutrients and often contain peat, white sand, sandstone, or volcanic soils. Some species can grow in soils with high heavy metal content, such as Nepenthes rajah, some can grow on sandy beaches in the sea spray zone such as Nepenthes albomarginata. Soil isn’t always necessary for pitcher plants to grow as some have evolved into lithophytes that can grow in or on rocks while others are epiphytes that grow on other plants, like trees.
We’ve taken quite a ride in the second epidote of Nepenthes and my second favorite thing about them, is where they are found.
If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform you’re listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 
Join me next week for another episode about Nepenthes.    
 
(Piano Music plays) 
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Unbelievable Unknown Plants: Nepenthes

Summary: Our next unbelievable unknown plant eats something quite unusual. Join Kiersten as she unravels the amazing life of Nepenthes.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean
 
Show Notes:
Nepenthes, Britannica Online: https://www.britannica.com
Music written and performed by Katherine Camp
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
In episode six of Unbelievable Unknown Plants were are introducing the first episode of or second plant. Like Rafflesia, we will be talking about several species of plants collectively called Nepenthes. The first thing I like about Nepenthes is the amazing plant itself.
Let’s talk about the family in general before we pinpoint a few very interesting species that we will highlight in following episodes.
If you have gone into the garden department of a home improvement store or a Wal-Mart at anytime in your life you may be familiar with Nepenthes. It is also known as monkey cup and tropical pitcher plant. Sound familiar? Unlike Rafflesia, humans have figured out how to cultivate some species of Nepenthes and with the correct set up, it can be pretty easy. So they have been mass produced for sale. I have to admit I have had a few in my lifetime. We will go more in-depth with this topic in a future episode. I suspect this will be a rabbit hole of addictive behavior. As I did my research on this plan t I came across several websites dedicated to the sale and care of Nepenthes. Some of these plants sell for over $1000 US dollars. Who-boy! I cant’s wait for that episode!
There are 140 known species of Nepenthes and, in the wild, they are mainly found in Madagascar, Southeast Asia, and Australia. What is it that makes these pitcher plants so unbelievable? They eat meat! Yes, that’s right, these are carnivorous plants. Every species of Nepenthes that we currently know of is classified as a carnivorous plant that captures insects or other prey by luring the targeted prey to them through scent. The shape of the pitcher makes it difficult if not impossible for the prey to escape once it has ventured inside where the sweet scent they want has led them.
I’ve always found it interesting that a plant eats meat. I mean everything has to survive and Nature is amazing, but it does seem a bit oxymoronic that a plant eats meat. On the other hand maybe it’s karmic. Insects and mammals eat plants so why not evolve a plant that eats insects and mammals.
Some have taken it a step farther int their pursuit of nutrient and have evolved to utilize a very special diet. They are still dependent on mammals for this nutrient but they aren’t eating the animal itself. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but I will say they give the term “potty mouth” a whole new twist.
Pitcher plants are perennial, which means the same plant regrows every year. Many grow in very acidic soil and some are epiphytes. An epiphyte is a plan  t that grows on another plant for support purposes only. Epiphytes have no attachment to the ground or obvious nutrient source. They are not parasitic to the host plant causing no harm to the structure upon which they are growing.
It’s no wonder that Nepenthes has evolved to utilize an alternative source of nutrients if they grow in an acidic soil, which typically offers little in the way of usable nutrients, or no soil at all. 
Nepenthes vary in size. Some are the perfect fit to attract a tiny fruit fly while others are so large they can attract and digest rats. You heard that correctly, I said rats. That is one big pitcher plant!
Like Rafflesia, some species of Nepenthes are engendered in their native habitats, but unlike Rafflesia more than one of these species is listed as endangered by the IUCN which makes conservation of these species so much easier. We will take more about this is future episodes.
The first episode of Nepenthes is a bit shorter than my usual episodes but don’t worry the next four will be packed full of amazing facts about Nepenthes. Think of this one as an introduction to this amazing plant, a bit of a teaser, if you will. Thanks for listening to the sixth episode of Unbelievable Unknown Plants and I’m glad you joined me because my first favorite thing about Nepenthes is Nepenthes.
 
If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 
Join me next week for another episode about Nepenthes.    
 
(Piano Music plays) 
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Rafflesia: Conservation

Summary: Is the stinkiest flower in the world in danger of disappearing forever? Join Kiersten as she discusses the conservation status of Rafflesia.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean
 
Show Notes: 
“Most of the world’s largest flowers (genus Rafflesia) are now on the brink of extinction,” by Pastor Malabrigo Jr, Adriane B. Tobias, Joko Witono, Sofi Mursidawati, Agus Susatya, Mat Eunuch Siti-Munirah, Adhityo Wicaksono, Reza Raihandhany, Sarah Edwards, and Chris J. Thorogood. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10431
“Colossal Blossom: Pursuing the peculiar genetics of a parasitic plant,” by Jonathan Shaw. Harvard Magazine. https://www.harvardmagazine.com
Music written and performed by Katherine Camp
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
This is episode five of Unbelievable Unknown Plants and the final episode of rafflesia. The fifth thing I like about rafflesia is awareness that conservation discussions are bringing to this unknown plant.
Awareness is always important for any conservation efforts. That is one of the main reasons I decided to do this podcast. Getting the word out is the best weapon in a conservationist’s tool belt for saving an imperiled species.
When it comes to rafflesia the conservation efforts is what really brought this flower into the public eye. The first paper I found when diving into the research on this lifeform was titled “Most of the world’s largest flowers (genus Rafflesia) are now on the brink of extinction.” 
Despite the recent increased interest in Rafflesia, the flower as a species is in danger of extinction. When we say that we mean all species of Rafflesia not just one species. What makes Rafflesia so vulnerable to disappearing? If you’ve listened to the last four episode you might be able to piece it together yourself.
In the second episode in this series, I talked about where Rafflesia can be found. All species of Rafflesia are restricted to one area of the world. They are found on several islands within the southeast Asian region but they are only found in the Philippines, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, and Peninsular Malaysia. They rely on the tropical rainforest areas of these islands, which restricts them to only a portion of the terrain. 
The number one reason Rafflesia are endangered is habitat loss. The above mentioned paper predicts that 67% of known habitats for Rafflesia are not in a protected area. This means that these habitats are at risk from human encroachment for lumber, clear cutting for farming, and greed, in general.
Rafflesia are found only on Tetrastigma vines, as far as we currently know, and these are only found in rainforests of southeast Asia. If these vines are removed, we lose all species of Rafflesia. 
Those of you that are loyal listeners may be saying, what about protections that come with IUCN listings of endangered species? That is a good point, but the International Union for Conservation of Nature only lists one Rafflesia species as Critically Endangered. In 2008 Rafflesia magnifica was listed as Critically Endangered with a population trend of decreasing.  
Rafflesia magnifica is found only on Mindanao Island, Philippines. The habitat in which this particular flower is found is being destroyed for road construction and conversion of the rainforest into banana plantations. 
Why are more species not listed by the IUCN? Even though researchers that published this paper urge the world to take action to list all Rafflesia as endangered, there are steps that must be taken to warrant this listing. The biggest obstacle is the lack of data determining the population numbers of Rafflesia. These flowers are hard to find as they bloom at random times and have no indication that they are about to bloom. It’s hard for scientists to find them, much less make an accurate count of them. Without this hard evidence, a listing by IUCN is impossible.
So scientists are doing the next best thing. They are bringing awareness of this plant to the world. Many international news companies have picked up this story and run with it. Smaller news outlets are highlighting this flower, and people like me are getting the name out there as well. The best way to save any species is to get the public interested. The more that they know the better.
What can we do? The scientists involved in the research of Rafflesia populations have proposed a four-point action plan. 
1. We need greater protection of Rafflesia habitats which targets the populations at most risk. Southeast Asia has the fastest disappearing forests on the planet, and as we know this is the only place where Rafflesia are found.
2. We need a better understanding of the full diversity of Rafflesia that exists which will better inform decision-making. A big problem with current protections is that the species diversity of Rafflesia are still under debate. How many species actually are there of Rafflesia? Sampling expeditions and genetic testing must be a priority.
3. We need to develop methods to successfully propagate Rafflesia in captivity.
4. If we introduce new ecotourism initiatives to engage local communities in Rafflesia conservation, it can go a long way. When given alternatives to destructive farming to feed your family, locals get on board with protecting local wildlife.
Several of the countries that host Rafflesia are doing their best to protect these flowers through ecotourism initiatives, local laws, and research in National Parks. For example, local villagers in West Sumatra are benefiting from Rafflesia ecotourism by building social media platforms that announce blooming events to attract paying tourists, bring awareness to the Rafflesia, and carefully manage the risks of trampling the flowers due to unsupervised visitors. 
Indonesia celebrates Rafflesia as one of its national flowers. 
In Sarawak, Malaysia all Rafflesia are listed by the local government as “Total Protected Plants” under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance of 1998.
Let’s go bak to number three of the four-point action plan. Many species of wildlife, flora or fauna, have benefitted from our efforts to breed or propagate individuals in captivity, so why not do this with Rafflesia? I love your thought process, listeners! The problem with this is that Rafflesia is a parasitic plant that relies on a host plant for survival, it’s not like other flowers where we just collect some seeds and put them in the ground. Rafflesia seeds have to get into the Tertrastigma vine to germinate and we still don’t know how that happens.
No having said this, Bogor Botanic Garden in West Java, Indonesia has had some success in propagating Rafflesia. They have successfully bloomed Rafflesia patma 16 times. There are several botanical gardens around the world that are in line to learn the secrets discovered at Bogor Botanic Garden, so they too can help conserve this amazing plant.
Even with these efforts, most Rafflesia species are still at great risk of disappearing forever, but hopefully with more exposure we can help Rafflesia have a bright future.
This is the final episode of Raflessia but only the fifth in the Unbelievable Unknown Plants series and my fifth favorite thing about Rafflesia is the conservation effort being made to secure their future.
 
If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 
 
So join me next week for another episode about Unbelievable Unknown Plants.    
 
(Piano Music plays) 
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Rafflesia: What with that smell?

Summary: Boy that sticks! Rafflesia are beautiful but stinky flowers. Join Kiersten as she explains why they smell so foul.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean
 
Show Notes:
“Colossal Blossom: Pursuing the peculiar genetics of a parasitic plant,” by Jonathan Shaw. Harvard Magazine. https://www.harvardmagazine.com
“What’s that smell? The putrid scent of Rafflesia consueloae, its origin and developmental regulation,” by Erika Marie A. Bascos, Edwina S. Fernando, Melizar V. Duya. Lilian Jennifer V. Rodriguez. Flora, Volume 318, September 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2024.152571
Music written and performed by Katherine Camp
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
The fourth episode of rafflesia is titled ‘What’s With That Smell?’, because the fourth thing I like about this amazing plant is the smell. Rafflesia arnoldii is known as the corpse lily. It’s not just a terrible nickname it earned on the school playground because of some strange mishap that it had no control over, no it actually smells like rotting meat. And it is absolutely on purpose.
Why would a flower want to smell like rotting meat? Well, smell emitted by any flower is typically aimed at a pollinator. The flower wants to attract an animal that is mobile that can help with reproduction. Mingling your pollen with another flower’s pollen is the way fertilization happens which results in fruit production that contains seeds which will produce new plants.  
There are a lot of plants out there and many of them use flowers to reproduce, so competition to attract a pollinator is fierce. Rafflesia have adapted to attract an unlikely pollinator, the carrion fly. Carrion flies are not your typical pollinator they do not fly around looking for flowers with nectar and pollen to eat. They do fly around looking for dead animals upon which to lay their eggs. The females lay eggs on rotting meat so when the eggs hatch the larvae have something to eat. Yum! 
Rafflesia are attracting these flies because no other flowers are doing so. It works well, for the flower, the flies, on the other hand, are wasting genetic material by laying eggs on something that smells like what they want but is not really meat.
The flies wander around the flower looking for the best place to lay their eggs, most likely the smelliest part of the flower, which appears to be inside the bowl shape in the middle of the flower. As the fly determines the best place to lay eggs it gets covered in pollen. Now rafflesia pollen is different from other flower’s pollen. It is a snotty, viscous liquid as opposed to powered pollen that is typical of most other flowers. The liquid pollen remains on the fly from days to weeks allowing the female fly to retain the pollen until it is, hopefully, attracted to another rafflesia.
What is it in the scent of rafflesia that makes it smell like rotting meat? Researchers asked this question too and they decided to create a scent composition of Rafflesia consueloae. They identified 13 volatile compounds in the scent of this rafflesia species. Now there were two other scent compound studies done before this on Rafflesia cantleyi and Rafflesia kerri. They found dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide and these floral volatile were also found in the study of Rafflesia consueloae. These are both sulfur containing volatiles and are the same ones produced by decomposing meat. So that’s where the smell comes from. This parasitic plant has figured out how to produce the exact same scent as actual rotting meat.
In studies investigating what female carrion flies were most attracted to, these two compounds were also profiled. The female carrion flies love these smells. These scents attract the females specifically because they are looking for rotting meat on which to lay their eggs. The females flies take their time looking for just the right spot in the flower to lay their eggs and as they do they come in contact with rafflesia’s pollen.  
But where is the best place to lay their eggs? Turns out these sulfide based scents are more heavily released from specific places in the flower that draw the fly deep into the interior so it becomes covered in the liquid pollen. 
Another Interesting tidbit to come out of these studies is that the rafflesia flower emits different scents at various stages of development. Remember I said  they found 13 different floral volatiles in the study of Rafflesia consueloae. Not all thirteen of them were released through the entire lifecycle of the flower. The dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide where only released when the flower was in full bloom. This flower just keeps getting more and more fascinating as we go along. 
The immense size of rafflesias may also be related to their chosen pollinator. Rotting meat is often large in size since we’re talking about decomposing animals, to be frank. Carrion flies are attracted to larger carcasses because they give off more scent and will probably still be decomposing when their eggs hatch. Scientists believe this may be a possible explanation for the large size of rafflesias. They are offering carrion flies the entire package. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that other plants pollinated by carrion flies such as the skunk cabbage in New England and the Stapelias of South Africa, are also large flower plants. 
One last attribute of rafflesia may also be related to the carrion fly. Rafflesia blooms emanate heat as they grow. The skunk cabbage also does this and is able to raise its temperature nearly 30 degrees. Originally scientists thought this thermogenesis was an adaptation that allowed flowers to bloom earlier at the end of winter by melting snow, but this doesn’t apply to rafflesia because they are all found in tropical habitats. 
Another explanation is that the heat allows rafflesia to more easily volatilize the odors they produce. The better to attract the carrion fly. The heat also allows the carrion fly to function at a lower energy cost while looking for a cozy place to lay her eggs, so she spends more time inside the flower.
Every time I write a new episode about this flower I cannot believe what amazing adaptations it has. The smell that rafflesia produces is my fourth favorite thing about them. 
 
If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 
 
So join me next week for another episode about Rafflesia.    
 
(Piano Music plays) 
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Rafflesia: Lifecycle

Summary: Does a unique flower like rafflesia how a unique life cycle? Join Kiersten to find out!
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean
 
Show Notes: 
“Most of the world’s largest flowers (genus Rafflesia) are now on the brink of extinction,” by Pastor Malabrigo Jr, Adriane B. Tobias, Joko Witono, Sofi Mursidawati, Agus Susatya, Mat Eunuch Siti-Munirah, Adhityo Wicaksono, Reza Raihandhany, Sarah Edwards, and Chris J. Thorogood. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10431
Start the Week Podcast: Mysterious Plants. 04 March 2024. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds
“Colossal Blossom: Pursuing the peculiar genetics of a parasitic plant,” by Jonathan Shaw. Harvard Magazine. https://www.harvardmagazine.com
Music written and performed by Katherine Camp
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
The third thing I like about rafflesia is its life cycle. In the first episode I hinted it at it a bit. Most of its life it is invisible and is a parasitic plant with a specific host plant. Let’s get into the fine details of rafflesia’s life cycle, and strap in listeners because this one is a doozy. When I chose rafflesia as my next unknown creature, I had no idea how how crazy the life cycle was, but my research has blown my mind. Enough anticipation, here we go.
Rafflesia have no roots, no shoots, no stems, and no leaves. Off to a good start when talking about a plant, right? The only thing left is petals and reproductive parts. Well, that’s essentially what rafflesia are made up of.
They spend most of their life hidden within the vines of their host plant. Vines in the genus Tetrastigma are the current host plants to rafflesia. They may be the chosen host due to the fact that they hold a lot of water, as do many vines.
Rafflesia buds pop out of the vines with no warning, or a least with no prior indication that we have seen. The buds pop out from a vine and will grow for months until they are the size of a cabbage, a large cabbage, like a basketball size cabbage. They look like the cabbage, as well. As the bud grows the petals remain wrapped tight like a cabbage. 
Most of the buds will be an orange color, since a good majority of rafflesia are a brick red color. When the bud is ready to bloom, five petals will unfold. In the middle of the flower is the floral chamber. Quoting from the Harvard Magazine article by Jonathan Shaw, the central floral chamber is (quote) “orb-shaped, with a circular opening at the top, [it} resembles a planetarium or astronomical observatory with a mottled roof partially opened to the sky.” (End quote). In the largest rafflesia flower, Rafflesia arnoldii, the chamber is big enough that an infant could comfortably take a nap inside. 
This is such a poetic and accurate description of the middle of rafflesia. Inside the opening is a disk covered with spikes. It looks like one of those rubber spiky balls that you can get your for dog. They give the inside of the planetarium structure a bit of a medieval torture chamber feel. Scientists have not determined what these structures do for the flower.  
The bloom will last about a week. During that week it is trying to attract pollinators to help is reproduce, just like all flowering plants. Those of you that are gardeners about there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. When the plants that you’ve loving planted and taken care of bloom, then you see the real reward. Pollinators such as honeybees, native bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, and bats are attracted to the blooms and help the plant swap pollen which leads to reproduction. That is the same goal for rafflesia, as well.
They use scent, jut like other flowers, to attract pollinators, but the scent they produce is a bit different than your typical flower. Rafflesia arnoldii, is also know are the ‘corpse lily’ or the ‘carrion flower’. That probably tells you what you need to now about the scent of this enormous flower. It smells like rotting meat. We are going to delve deeper into the details of this odoriferous scent in a future episode, but rafflesia is targeting a specific pollinator, carrion flies.
Carrion flies are attracted to rotting meat where they their eggs so the larvae can consume the decaying flesh and transform into adult flies. Rafflesia employ a trick that many plants use to get what they need from mobile animals, pollen from another flower that they themselves cannot reach. The pollinator will visit the flower that is advertising what it is interested in, take a little reward, unknowingly get itself covered in pollen, then they visit another flower where the pollen from the first flower mixes with the second flower, and so on. 
The carrion fly is attracted to rafflesia where they will lay their eggs. They don’t known that this will not help them spread their genetics because when their eggs hatch the maggots will have nothing to consume, but the flower is getting what it wants out of this relationship. When the fly crawls around inside the central floral chamber looking for the best place to lay eggs, they get covered in pollen. 
Once again rafflesia is different from other flowers. Most plant pollen is powdery, dusting anything that touches it with a layer of pollen that clings long enough to travel to another flower nearby. Rafflesia pollen is a viscous liquid. The fly’s back gets coated with this thick, yellow liquid where it can remain for several days to weeks. Scientists are not completely sure why rafflesia use a gooey liquid pollen as opposed to a powdery pollen, but it may help keep the pollen in place longer than the powder based pollen.
Rafflesia blooms unpredictably and generally not in clusters. So a pollinator has to travel a lot further to find another rafflesia flower that is in bloom. If the pollen falls off before it finds a second flower, it’s not helpful. 
If a rafflesia is successfully pollinated, the female flowers produce fruit that looks like a pile of cow manure. Yum! These piles are filled with hundreds of thousands of seeds. Each of these one millimeter seeds come equipped with an oil body that may have something to do with seed dispersal. Here is where we lose the path of rafflesia life cycle. Researchers have not yet determined how rafflesia seeds get where they need to go to begin life.
We’ve come almost full circle, so let’s go back to the beginning for a moment. Remember when I said that rafflesia is invisible for most of its life until it begins to bud? This is because rafflesias are parasitic plants that rely on a physical connection the a vine in genus Tetrastigma. These vines hold a lot of moisture which may be why rafflesia have chosen these particular vines as a host. To create new flowers the seeds of rafflesia must come in contact with a Tertasigma vine. We don’t know how that happens. Some say that tree shrews may eat them and them poop them out, elephants step on the fruit and track them through the forest to the correct vine, but the oily bodies on the seeds indicate that ants may be the transporters of the seeds. Other species of flowers use oil bodies to attract ants to do their seed dispersal, so this may be what’s happening with rafflesia, as well. 
We have successfully come full circle with the life cycle of rafflesia, and I told you it was a doozy. I hope you enjoyed the ride because my third favorite thing about rafflesia is their life cycle. 
If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 
 
So join me next week for another episode about Rafflesia.    
 
(Piano Music plays) 
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Rafflesia: Where are they found?

Summary: Where are rafflesia found? Join Kiersten as she visits Southeast Asia (not literally) to find out. 
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean
 
“Most of the world’s largest flowers (genus Rafflesia) are now on the brink of extinction,” by Pastor Malabrigo Jr, Adriane B. Tobias, Joko Witono, Sofi Mursidawati, Agus Susatya, Mat Eunuch Siti-Munirah, Adhityo Wicaksono, Reza Raihandhany, Sarah Edwards, and Chris J. Thorogood. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10431
Music written and performed by Katherine Camp
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
The second thing I like about rafflesia is where it is found. This genus of plant has a very small distribution. Let’s talk about where you can find these amazing flowers.
You probably remember from last week’s introductory episode  that rafflesia our found in southeast Asia. None have been found outside this region at the recording of this podcast in 2024, although researchers believe that there are more within this region that have yet to be seen and described by science. The majority of rafflesia are found in the Philippines, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, and Peninsular Malaysia. For your reference, Peninsular Malaysia refers to the western portion of Malaysia, or the island portion, and consists of 11 states and two federal territories.
Let’s take a look and where specific species of rafflesia are found. Before I get started, please excuse any mispronunciation of country names. I mean     no offense. 
Rafflesia arnoldii, the largest species of rafflesia with a spread of three feet in diameter, is found in Malaysia in Borneo and Sarawak. This rafflesia has two varieties, the second variety is Rafflesia arnoldii atjehensis which is found in Indonesia on West Kalimantan and Sumatra. Rafflesia aurantia is fund in the Philippines in Luzon and the Quirino Province. Rafflesia azlanii is found on Peninsular Malaysia in Perak and Pahang. Rafflesia baletei is fund in the Phillipones on Southern Luzon and the Camarines Sur Province. Rafflesia bengkuluensis is found in Indonesia in Souther Sumatra. Rafflesia cantleyi is found in Peninsular Malaysia and on Tioman Island. Rafflesia consueloae, the smallest rafflesia at only 9.7cm in width, is found in the Philippines in Luzon, Nueva Ecija Province.  
Rafflesia gadutensis is found in Indonesia on the Western coast of Sumatra and Benkulu. Rafflesia hasseltii is found in Indonesia’s central Sumatra. Rafflesia keithii can be found in Malaysia’s Borneo and Sabah and Indonesia’s East Kalimantan. Rafflesia kerrii is found in Peninsular Thailand as well as Peninsular Malaysia. Rafflesia lagascae is found in Luzon in the Philippines. Rafflesia lawangensis can be found in North Sumatra and the Gunung Leuser National Park of Indonesia. Rafflesia leonardii is found in Luzon, Phillipines. Rafflesia lobata can be seen in Panay, Philippines. Rafflesia manillana lives in Samar Philippines. Rafflesia meijeri blooms in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Rafflesia micropylora is also found in North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Rafflesia mira and Rafflesia mixta are both found in Mindanao, Philippines. Rafflesia patna is found in Java, Indonesia. Rafflesia philippensis is, you guessed it, found in the Philippines, Luzon Island, Quezon Province, Mt. Banahaw. This flower also goes by R. Banahaw or R. banahawensis in an homage to where it grows. Rafflesia pricei is found in Borneo, Sabah, possibly N. Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan. Rafflesia rochussenii lives in Western Java and Sumatra, Indonesia. 
Rafflesia schadenbergiana and Rafflesia speciosa are both found in the Philippines in Mindanao and Panay respectively. Rafflesia tengku-adlinii is found in Borneo and Sabah Malaysia. Rafflesia tuan-mudae is also found in Malaysia but in West Sarawak. Rafflesia verrucosa resides in Mindanao, Philippines. Rafflesia zollingeriana is found in eastern Java, Indonesia. The remaining species of rafflesia that we currently know of have incomplete taxonomic identification, so we are not sure if they are all seperate species from the one described above, but they are all found in Indonesia or Peninsular Malaysia.
Thanks for hanging in there listeners, I didn’t list these all out just so I could say rafflesia a lot, although I have to admit it is fun to say, I want to highlight how many places each specie is found. If you didn’t tune it out, you may have noticed that most species are only found in one place. Only five species are found on more than one island. Since most of these flowers are found on islands, the theory of island biogeography applies. This theory, in a nutshell, says that larger islands should host a larger amount of species than smaller islands because larger islands are, well, larger. This holds true for the majority of islands that host rafflesia, but when dealing with nature, there is always an exception to the rule. 
This is true of rafflesia. The island of Luzon is seven times smaller than Borneo yet both of them host the same amount of rafflesia. Scientists are not sure why yet, but research into this is ongoing. When discussing distribution of this plant, we do have to keep in mind that scientists are still discovering new species or discovering known species in new locations, so our knowledge is continually evolving. 
Most rafflesias are found in a rainforest habitat on the island where they bloom and that is due to the nature of the host plant upon which they rely. The vines in the genus Tetrastigma seem to be the only vines that host these amazing flowers and they are mostly found in rainforests. Now that we know what rafflesia is and where to find it, next week we will delve into its unusual life cycle. 
Thank you for listening to episode two of rafflesia. The locations where this incredible flower is found is my second favorite thing about them. 
If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 
 
So join me next week for another episode about Rafflesia.    
 
(Piano Music plays) 
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Unbelievable Unknown Plants: Rafflesia

Summary: Rafflesia is a flower but not just any ole flower. Join Kiersten as she discusses this highly unusual plant.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean
 
Show Notes: 
“Most of the world’s largest flowers (genus Rafflesia) are now on the brink of extinction,” by Pastor Malabrigo Jr, Adriane B. Tobias, Joko Witono, Sofi Mursidawati, Agus Susatya, Mat Eunuch Siti-Munirah, Adhityo Wicaksono, Reza Raihandhany, Sarah Edwards, and Chris J. Thorogood. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10431
“Rafflesia arnoldii,” Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, https://www.kew.org
Music written and performed by Katherine Camp
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
 
Kiersten - Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… This is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
My name is Kiersten and I have a Master’s Degree in Animal Behavior and did my thesis on the breeding behavior of the Tri-colored bat. I was a zookeeper for many years and have worked with all sorts of animals from Aba Aba fish to tigers to ravens to domesticated dogs and so many more in between. Many of those years were spent in education programs and the most important lesson I learned was that the more information someone has about a particular animal the less they fear them. The less they fear them the more they crave information about them and before you know it you’ve become an advocate for that misunderstood animal.
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
This series will be a bit different from previous ones because we’re going to talk about two unknown species. We’ll delve into two amazing plants that have quite unusual life cycles.  This is the first episode of a series focused on unbelievable, unknown plants.
The first plant I’m going to talk about is Rafflesia and the first thing I like about this plant is rafflesia itself. Rafflesia is actually the genus of 42 different species of plants. This genus includes the largest solitary flower in the world. Rafflesia arnoldii grows up to three feet in diameter and can weigh up to 15 lbs. That’s one heck of a big flower! 
This is also an amazingly beautiful flower. It has five large, rounded petals. The middle of the flower looks like a bit like a giant salad bowl, but that is just part of the outer petals. If you look at a side view of this flower the outer petals look like the letter Y. Beneath the inner lip of the flower sits the central column where the stamens are located. Almost every species of Rafflesia follows this basic anatomical pattern. Each one has it own distinct details but generally follows this pattern.
All Rafflesia are a red color with white or yellow spots all over. They look like a cartoon version of a flower. Maybe something you see in a Super Mario Brothers video game. The red hue varies by species and one is such a pale pink it almost looks white. The spots also vary is shape from round dots like a polka-dot pattern to round edged rectangles to blotches that have no discernible shape.
All Rafflesia that we currently know of are found in Southeast Asia. This is one of the most plant-rich areas on the planet and Rafflesia are found only here. As I stated before there are 42 species of this amazing plant and since the beginning of the 21 century the species count has doubled from the number described between 1821 and 1984. Thirteen species were described in 1997. 
Now I’m not done with the amazing facts about Rafflesia. These flowers are invisible for most of its life cycle, because the main part of the plant lives hidden within another plant. Rafflesia are considered parasitic.
The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines parasite as an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other’s expense. Rafflesia are some of the most amazing parasites on Earth, as far as I’m concerned. We’ll delve more into this topic in a future episode, but the Rafflesia chose vines in the genus Tetrastigma as their host plants.
Island living is the life for Rafflesia. Most of them are found on small island throughout Southeast Asia. Some of them are found on only one island and no where else. 
Taxonomy is still disputed about these flowers so classifying them can be a challenge. Beyond classification, we know little about these plants. Why they chose the hosts that they choose, which species are found where, when they will bloom, and some much more. Scientists are still studying these amazing flowers, but time is running out. Many of these flowers habitats are disappearing at a terrifying rate. There may be rafflesia disappearing before scientists even discover them.
We will talk about all these topics in the first half of this series of Unbelievable unknown plants. I’m excited about this one listeners! I picked a great plant to start off with because my first favorite thing about rafflesia is rafflesia. 
 
If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 
 
So join me next week for another episode about Rafflesia.    
 
(Piano Music plays) 
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Tanuki: Conservation

Summary: Are tanuki in danger of extinction? Join Kiersten to find out all about the conservation status of the tanuki.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners a full transcript is available in the show notes on Podbean
 
Show Notes: 
Nyctereutes procyonoides, Raccoon Dog. Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org
“A path to human-raccoon dog harmony: identifying factors influencing the tolerance of urban residents in Shanghai towards a neglected species,” by  Qianqian Zhao, Yihan Wang, Lejie Wu, Yidi Feng, Yuhan Li, Zhuojin Zhang, Qing Zhao, and Fang Wang. People and Nature, Vol 6, Issue 3. Https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002//pan3.10636.
 Music written and performed by Katherine Camp
 
Transcript 
(Piano music plays) 
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
This is the final episode of Tanuki. A little bitter sweet for me because I’ve had a great time researching and talking about this truly unique canine, but here we are and the tenth thing I like about the raccoon dog is their conservation status.
Those of you who are consistent listeners know that I typically finish a series with a conservation episode and tanuki is no exception. This is a conservation episode with good news, overall, though. The raccoon dog is not in need of extreme conservation efforts as of this recording due to their adaptability. 
The IUCN Red List has the raccoon dog listed as Least Concern. IUCN stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature which was established in 1948 bringing conservation to an international stage. This organization brings the world together with a shared goal of protecting nature. The IUCN Red List categorizes animals and plants by their population levels in endemic habitats and regions. Ratings range from Unknown to Extinct. 
The raccoon dog is categorized as Least Concern which means their population levels are good and remain stable. This is mainly due to the raccoon dog’s adaptability, as I said before. They are excellent at using what their environment has to offer. This is good news. We don’t have tp worry about tanuki disappearing from the planet, but they are experiencing pressure from the same things that all animals and plants are suffering from.
Habitat loss is causing more and more individuals to move closer to human neighborhoods, loss of insects and amphibians is causing some populations to alter their diets, and changing temperatures are causing raccoon dogs to change behaviors to accommodate shorter hibernation times. 
Hunting is a concern. Raccoon dogs are hunted in every region they are found whether an endemic area or introduced. There is only one managed program involving hunting and that is within an introduced area. This is understandable. An adaptable animal in an introduced habitat can become destructive fairly quickly. The issue with hunting tanuki in their native habitat is that population numbers should be monitored so that they do not drop below genetically diverse numbers leaving no hope for recovery.  
Just because the raccoon dog’s population is doing well and we do not need to currently worry, it’s never too early to look at what conservation efforts need to include for the future.
A study recently released in March of 2024, is testing the waters. The research was done in Shanghai, China and the title of the paper is “A path to human-raccoon dog harmony: identifying factors influencing the tolerance of urban residents in Shanghai towards a neglected species.”  
One of the best places to start when considering how to sculpt a conservation plan is gathering information about how the people near the area feel about the flora and fauna of the area. How does this wild place impact their lives. Is it important to them? Would they miss if it disappeared? Do they know what that habitat supports? 
I believe that all habitats and animals should be conserved in their natural, true state just because they exist. We should conserve and preserve because they exist and for no other reason. Everything deserves a place to live and thrive and we, humans, are some of the most adaptable creatures on the planet, so we can change our behaviors to fit in with nature. Instead we alter everything to meet our needs. 
One of the best ways to get people onboard about conservation is to show them how these animals and wild places benefit us. It is a great tool to have in the conservationists backpack. The researchers in Shanghai wanted to know how residents felt about raccoon dogs. They devised a poll and collected 281 completed surveys from residents of Shanghai which is a rapidly developing city. Scientist wanted to investigate people’s knowledge, attitude, and tolerance towards raccoon dogs. They considered a few demographic variables such as gender, age, and education because they hypothesized that these might influence a person’s familiarity with raccoon dogs. They also included four variables of human dimensions such as familiarity with raccoon dogs, trust in wildlife management authorities, perceived benefits of raccoon dogs, and perceived risks of raccoon dogs. Using these four dimensions they designed multiple questions to quantify participant’s responses.
The surveys were conducted in 10 residential areas that have high human-raccoon dog conflict. The data revealed something I have known for a long time which is that when people are educated about an animal, they understand it more and then they care about it more. The recommendation from these scientists is: “To promote harmony between urban residents and nature and foster their affection for urban species, educational campaigns and citizen science, which refers to the participation of non-professional citizens in scientific research, can be used to address conflicts both between humans and wild animals and between people with different opinions.” I could not have said it better myself!
On that note, I’ll close the final episode of Tanuki with my tenth favorite thing being that the future of tanuki conservation looks bright.
 
 
If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 
 
I’ll be taking a break for summer but I’ll be back in September. So join me in a month for a brand new series about another misunderstood or unknown creature.    
 
(Piano Music plays) 
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.