Protocols
6 protocols
nonmetric multidimensional scaling (Plantae)
PERMANOVA testing of volatile composition differences across species and years, with NMDS visualization of chemical dissimilarity patterns.
AIC model selection (Plantae)
Multiple candidate models incorporating different combinations of climate predictors were fitted and ranked using Akaike Information Criterion to select optimal models for demographic functions.
Honeydew collection and chemical analysis
Collection of aphid honeydew on aluminum foil substrates followed by LC-MS/MS analysis to quantify sugar and amino acid composition as indicators of plant quality and ant-aphid mutualism benefits.
Plant biomass allocation analysis (Valerianaceae)
Calculation and statistical analysis of plant biomass allocation between vegetative and reproductive tissues using arcsin transformations and three-way ANOVA.
stable isotope analysis
Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of ant tissues to determine trophic position and dietary composition. Involves specimen preparation, drying, grinding, and mass spectrometry analysis.
Dominance scoring (Formicidae)
Three dominance scores calculated for each species at each site where it occurred to assess competitive hierarchies.