Protocols

A method to experimentally add nectar rewards to naturally pollen-only rewarding flowers by depositing measured volumes of artificial nectar solution onto flower structures accessible to pollinators. ...

Experimental addition of outcross pollen to flowers to test whether natural pollination limits plant reproductive success, comparing reproductive output between hand-pollinated and naturally pollinate...

Shade cloths suspended 3m above treatment plots accelerate snowmelt by 5-7 days when snowpack reaches ~1m depth, simulating earlier spring snowmelt conditions. Cloths removed after complete treatment ...

A 2×2 factorial experiment combining passive warming using open-top chambers with dominant plant species removal across elevational gradients at multiple global mountain sites to test interactive effe...

A factorial field experiment manipulating snowmelt timing using black shade cloth and summer precipitation using rainout shelters in a split-plot design to simulate climate change effects.

Multi-site common garden experiment using controlled crosses to partition genetic and environmental variance in vegetative and floral traits across a hybrid zone. Seeds from multiple genetic families ...

Paired experimental design comparing floral development and longevity between plants receiving daily road dust applications versus undusted controls, with detailed tracking of flower developmental sta...

Experimental manipulation of summer precipitation levels (doubled, halved, ambient) to assess effects on plant physiological and fitness traits in a common garden setting over multiple years.

A controlled field experiment testing the effects of nitrogen addition and reduction on plant community composition over 8 years. Annual percent cover monitoring tracked responses of invasive and nati...

Experimental removal of flower buds to simulate frost damage effects, allowing comparison of microclimate conditions between plots with and without flower displays in subalpine meadow.

Controlled experiment using artificial flowers with discrete bullseye phenotypes exposed to UV-present vs UV-absent treatments to test UV-mediated selection on floral traits. Pollen viability measured...

A factorial experiment manipulating both flowering phenology (by moving plants between elevations) and water availability (through differential watering regimes) using potted native plants in field ar...

Experimental clipping treatment designed to reduce plant photosynthetic capacity by approximately 50% through removal of stems. Used to simulate herbivory stress and examine effects on mycorrhizal ass...

Experimental manipulation of natural floral orientations combined with pollen supplementation to test effects on seed set and female fitness.

Flowers are bagged to prevent natural parasitism, then exposed to controlled introductions of parasitoid wasps or ambient parasitoid activity, followed by assessment of parasitism effects on seed pred...

Controlled factorial experiment manipulating both water availability and pollen supplementation to test for interactive effects on plant reproduction.

Controlled experiment using marker bacterium to track microbial transfer from inoculated donor flowers to recipient flowers via butterfly foraging behavior.

Plants were subjected to progressive water stress by withholding irrigation to create a gradient of soil moisture conditions. This experimental design allowed examination of plant responses across a r...

Plant tissues are subjected to controlled freezing temperatures in a programmable chamber to determine frost damage thresholds. Temperatures are gradually reduced to simulate natural frost events, the...

Controlled removal of the most abundant Bombus species from plots using targeted aerial netting during 4-hour manipulation periods, compared to 4-hour control periods with no removal. Pollinator exclu...

Factorial experiment using wire mesh and chicken wire fencing to exclude mammalian herbivores (ungulates and gophers) from transplanted alpine plants across elevational gradients. Plants monitored for...

Application of fine-mesh bags over flowers to prevent pollinator access while maintaining airflow and light penetration. Uses Del Star polyethylene bags with 0.5mm pores applied to approximately 50% o...

Small-scale removal of invasive plant flowers to test effects on native plant pollination through paired treatment and control plots within experimental blocks. Invasive flowers were removed by clippi...

Controlled application of synthetic pinene enantiomers via cotton-filled microcentrifuge tube emitters to test effects of specific volatile compounds on insect oviposition behavior. Treatments applied...

Production of F2 hybrid generations with alternate cytoplasmic backgrounds through controlled hand-pollination crosses. Allows testing of cytoplasmic effects on physiological traits.

Controlled laboratory assay using prepared stigmas on growth medium to test pollen germination and tube growth across species boundaries. Stigmas are prepared from unopened buds, treated with pure pol...

Experimental transplantation of completed mason bee nests from low to high elevation sites to test effects of season length and climate on offspring development. Uses trap-nest monitoring followed by ...

Seed-burial and greenhouse germination experiments to estimate seed bank-related vital rates including seed germination and stasis.