Nutrient Limitation of Kincaid’s Lupine
Collaborators:	Tom Kaye, Andrea Thorpe (Institute for Applied Ecology) Eric Seabloom (OSU Zoology)
Funding:	USGS-FRESC

Biogeochemistry has made many noteworthy contributions to ecosystem management and policy development at very broad scales, but contributions to local conservation biology are less common. This work seeks to bridge that gap in the conservation of Kincaid’s lupine, a threatened native plant of Willamette Valley prairie.

One trait of Kincaid’s lupine – an ability to biologically fix atmospheric N₂ gas to meet its nitrogen demands – is being explored as a window into conservation of the species. We are examining in greenhouse and field experiments whether manipulation of nutrient regimes (nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients) can be used as a targeted restoration approach to favor growth of Kincaid’s lupine over non N-fixing species.

Photos courtesy of Tom Kaye

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