Lupine Greenhouse Study

California is forecasted to have more droughts and heatwaves, which can negatively affect plant growth and hinder rare plant reintroduction efforts. Lupinus nipomensis is a plant endemic to the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, located in southern San Luis Obispo County. Lupinus nipomensis is a California state and federally endangered species that has a variable interannual population because of environmental factors. To help inform conservation efforts, we are interested in the role water and temperature stress have in growth and reproduction. We grew 80 Lupinus nipomensis individuals in separate containers and exposed them to four treatments: drought, warming, drought and warming, and a control. We hypothesize that L. nipomensis will have reduced seed production and photosynthesis when experiencing drought and warming, and an interactive effect between the two variables will further impact L. nipomensis. Drought was implemented with an episodic drought, where plants were not watered until stressed (indicated via stomatal conductance). Warming was applied using a polycarbonate cube and heat lamp, which increased the average temperatures by 4C°. We will measure growth, seed production, photosynthetic rates, water use efficiency, and specific leaf area to assess the role of increased drought and elevated temperatures on L. nipomensis growth geared for conservation efforts.