Protocols

Microscopic assessment of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization and other fungal colonization of plant roots using crosshair intercept method and grid line-intercept method for soil fungi.

Surface sterilization of plant tissues followed by DNA extraction and high-throughput sequencing of the ITS region to characterize fungal endophyte communities. Community composition and diversity met...

Calculation of multiple phylogenetic diversity metrics for plant communities using established phylogenetic trees and null model approaches to test for phylogenetic clustering or overdispersion.

Nested sampling design to construct species-area relationships across multiple spatial scales by subdividing plots into equal-area quadrats and averaging species counts across equivalent areas.

Multivariate analysis technique to quantify community responses over time. Treatment weights indicate response magnitude and species weights show individual taxa responses.

Quantitative analysis of the relationship between sapsucker damage patterns on aspen trees and proximity to willow habitat, using distance measurements and damage assessment.

Method for extracting and analyzing historical herbarium specimen data to reconstruct the life and career patterns of past collectors, including temporal and spatial analysis of collecting activities.

Extraction of iron and manganese from sediments using 0.5 N HCl with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in anaerobic conditions, followed by ICP-AES analysis. This method targets metals associated with reduc...

Root systems around Castilleja plants are excavated, cleaned, and examined microscopically to identify haustorium-host connections for direct detection of parasitic relationships. Host species are ide...

Field identification of lichen species using chemical spot tests with potassium hydroxide, morphological examination with hand lens, and comparison to field guide keys.

Plant species composition within 15cm of Castilleja individuals is compared to random background vegetation to statistically identify overrepresented taxa as potential hosts. This provides an indirect...

Calculation of Shannon diversity index (ln type) and Simpson dominance index (1-D) from species count data using online biodiversity calculator. Standard ecological diversity metrics for comparing com...

Calculation of species area of occupancy (AOO) using filtered GBIF occurrence records and standardized grid-based methods following IUCN guidelines for conservation assessment.

Extraction of plant metabolites using methanol/acetonitrile/water solvent followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Characterizes plant metabolomic profiles for correlation with fu...

Using ArcGIS to digitize habitat polygons and generate random sampling points within appropriate community types.

Estimation of invertebrate biomass using established taxon-specific length-mass relationships and scaling to aerial measures.