Final answer:
Pitcher Plants obtain many of their nutrients from captured insects that drown in their modified leaf structures, which are then decomposed by microorganisms, releasing nutrients the plants can absorb.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pitcher Plants, such as those from the genus Sarracenia, have adapted to grow in nutrient-poor conditions like peatlands where they obtain many of their nutrients not from the soil, but from a different source. These carnivorous plants exhibit a fascinating method to compensate for the lack of nutrients, particularly nitrogen, in their natural habitat. The highly modified leaf of the Pitcher Plant, known as the pitcher, captures insects with features that attract and ensnare prey. The doomed insects drown in the accumulated rainwater inside the pitcher, where a community of microorganisms including bacteria and fungi breaks them down. This decomposition process releases nutrients in forms that the Pitcher Plant can readily absorb, essentially feeding on these nutrients to supplement what it cannot obtain from the surrounding peat.