Effects of Drought on Malosma laurina Leaves

Drought induced deformations in the chaparral plant Malosma laurina were observed following the lack of water availability during the years of 2013 and 2014. We hypothesized that the middle leaves grown during the drought would have the lowest productivity, the top post-drought leaves would have the highest productivity, and the bottom pre-drought leaves would have an intermediate level of productivity. We used a sample size of n = 6, representing 6 unique M. laurina plants. To obtain our data, we used the LI-6400 gas exchange system. In our comparisons of photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and photosynthetic quenching of the top, middle, and bottom leaves of the M. laurina, we found no statistically significant difference between the different types of leaves. Contrary to our prediction, the middle leaf grown during the drought did not have the lowest level of productivity. Instead, our results showed that a decrease in plant productivity was correlated with the increase in leaf age, regardless of whether or not the leaf was grown during the drought