success: doi:10.21973/N3M37K datacite: %0A10.21973/N3M37KLilly BoitonJames PowersJordan WaitsHerbivory defense and growth tradeoffs along a moisture gradient in Lupinus latifolius var. columbianusUniversity of California Natural Reserve System2019Textresource availability hypothesisphenotypic plasticityherbivoryconstitutive plant defenseLupinus latifoliusKathleen WongKathleenWongUniversity of California Natural Reserve SystemSummer 2019pdfHypotheses such as the plant stress hypothesis, apparency theory, and the resource availability hypothesis provide contrasting predictions to how plants respond to abiotic stress and their interactions with herbivores. In this paper we examined the effects of a water availability gradient on the morphological characteristics and herbivory of Lupinus latifolius var. columbianus. We measured the abundance of the leaf beetle, Galeruca rudis, and Aphididae as well as the amount of leaf herbivory damage on lupine individuals as a response to soil moisture, proximity to an adjacent stream, and thickness of their leaves. Positive trends were found for the leaf thickness of L. latifolius with distance from water and resulting drier soil. Thinner leaves, increased growth, and increased herbivory were positively associated with plants that were closer to the stream, where soil was moister. G. rudis was associated with lupines in moist soils while aphid activity was higher among plants farther away from our creek where soils were drier. Our findings corroborate the resource availability hypothesis, which predicts that plant species growing along a gradient of resource availability (ie. soil moisture) divert valuable resources from vegetative growth, towards constitutive plant defense when resources are scarce. Additionally, we have shown that the resource availability hypothesis can be applied intraspecifically, as well as interspecifically.Volume 3, Issue 2Valentine Camp-118.9955555637.62972222 _owner: ucnrs_kwong _ownergroup: ucnrs _created: 1566947549 _updated: 1637787410 _profile: datacite _target: https://ezid.cdlib.org/id/doi:10.21973/N3M37K _datacenter: CDL.UCD _status: public _export: yes _shadowedby: ark:/d1973/n3m37k