Interactive Roles of Predation and Hybridization on Population Dynamics of an Endangered Lupinus Species

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Species introductions are one of the major threats to global biodiversity. Current models designed to explore risks of extinction for native plant species have not considered two important mechanisms by which introduced species may harm native species: altered relationships between native plants and their consumers, and hybridization between native and introduced plant species. This research represents the first time these factors will be used in an extinction risk model. Experiments will be used to measure plant reproductive rates and the effects of consumers on them; genetic studies will be used to measure hybridization rates. These results will be used to design models that will evaluate the effects of consumers and hybridization on population growth and long-term viability of a federally-endangered, native plant species.The results of this study will have important implications for the conservation of the focal plant species, which is endangered and only found in 14 populations within Northern California. More broadly, this study should pave the way for future research on these two rapidly-acting extinction risks to our native flora. Such studies are of critical importance, since consumers and hybridization may threaten countless rare plant and animal species.