The burning of fossil fuels and the widespread use of synthetic fertilizers over the past century has more than doubled the concentration of phosphorus and reactive nitrogen in all aquatic and terrestrial habitats. This seminar explores the effects of anthropogenic nutrient deposition on the plant physiology and population growth of the carnivorous pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea and on the microbial dynamics of the micro-ecosystem and food web that develops in the aquatic pools of its cupped leaves. This model system allows for unique insights from a combination of field experiments, greenhouse manipulations, long-term monitoring, and modeling.