Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration

The 2022 Nipomo Mesa Lupine Seed Predation and Herbivory Study analyzed the impact that animals and insects have on the germination success of the Nipomo Mesa lupine. Seed and plant herbivory was monitored at two different sites in Nipomo, California to identify the species that have been predating on the lupine and also compare how different planting locations impact herbivory. The three different treatments monitored were seeds set out in caged plots, uncaged plots near vegetation, and uncaged plots far from vegetation. Seed count data was collected at the beginning of the monitoring process (January 24, 2022) and at the end (May 17th, 2022). This data indicated that caged plots had the most herbivory activity, and then uncaged near vegetation, and lastly uncaged far from vegetation. However, this data is not sufficient to draw conclusions because of the high likelihood that seeds were blown out of the bait boxes by wind. Motion sensor trail cameras were also set up at each one of the 8 plots and video footage was collected. Video footage indicated that uncaged sites near vegetation showed the most seed predation, with kangaroo rats and deer mice being the primary predators. Video footage from the uncaged bait stations far from vegetation showed the most evidence of plant herbivory, mainly by cottontails and several bird species. Lastly, caged bait stations showed little herbivory activity, however birds and rodents were still seen in the cages. There was a high prevalence of insect activity in the caged plots, but it is undetermined what their effect was. The camera’s capture rates were extremely low due to technical difficulties associated with the delay between the trigger and the start of the video and seed data was not collected frequently enough to rule out factors other than seed predation in the removal of seeds from the bait stations. Therefore, further studies should be conducted to analyze the impact of these species on the Nipomo Mesa Lupine due to the limitations of this study.