Protocols

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...

Standardized greenhouse cultivation of field-collected plant accessions under controlled temperature, light, and nutrition regimes for phenotype characterization.

Seeds were treated with Benomyl fungicide at 4°C to remove endophytic fungi, creating endophyte-free plants for comparison with naturally endophyte-positive and endophyte-negative plants.

Controlled laboratory experiment comparing survival, growth, and tag retention between PIT-tagged and control salamanders over 90 days to validate tag safety for small amphibians.

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...

Experimental advancement of snow melt timing using shade cloth application to test effects on host plant phenology and aphid-plant interactions. Combined with temperature manipulation using open-top w...

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...

Pre-treatment of bittercress plants with jasmonic acid to simulate herbivore-induced plant defenses, followed by controlled bacterial inoculation to test effects on bacterial growth.

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...

Field playback experiments testing Mule deer responses to predator and control vocalizations. Single observer approached focal deer, conducted pre- and post-stimulus behavioral observations, and broad...

Wild ant colonies were collected and split into paired fragments, then maintained on controlled diets (carbohydrate vs protein-rich) to test effects of macronutrient balance on behavior. Colony fragme...

Systematic playback of pre-recorded animal vocalizations from known positions and orientations to validate localization algorithm performance under controlled field conditions.

Hand-pollination experiment comparing fitness of selfed vs. outcrossed offspring by controlling pollination source and measuring resulting fruit characteristics. Uses reciprocal crosses between geneti...

Controlled heating and cooling assays to determine critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and minimum (CTmin) temperatures of bumblebees under field conditions. Includes environmental optimization trials to...

Controlled experiment using flow-through tanks to test whether artificial D. geminata mats (polyester pillow stuffing) provide refuge for T. tubifex from stonefly predation. Treatments included presen...

Laboratory aquarium experiment using surgically modified (de-mented) dragonfly larvae to separate behavioral interference effects from direct predation effects on prey consumption.

Manual removal of invasive diatom D. geminata from stream substrate plots with adjacent controls to test effects on invertebrate community composition and abundance over a three-week period.

Experimental manipulation of existing egg mass densities on preferred substrates to test whether females exhibit aggregative oviposition behavior in response to conspecific egg presence.

Controlled temperature treatments from 15-65°C applied to detached leaves for 1 hour, with temperature ramped at 2°C/hour. Used to determine lethal temperature thresholds via electrolyte leakage measu...

Paired sampling of vegetation inside exclosures before and after controlled grazing events to quantify herbivore impacts on standing crop biomass.

A factorial field experiment manipulating herbivore abundance and water availability using cages with controlled grasshopper access and supplemental watering or rain-out shelters. Plants from multiple...

Controlled feeding experiment providing different protein levels of horse feed to different matrilines while maintaining reference populations. Tests effects of food quality and quantity on juvenile g...

Seedlings were grown under different light quality treatments to measure phenotypic plasticity in response to shade cues, specifically changes in red to far-red light ratios that indicate neighboring ...

Experimental removal of D. geminata cells and stalks from stream rocks to test regrowth capacity under natural conditions with different initial stalk densities.

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...

A controlled feeding experiment where individual first instar larvae are offered different plant species and their gut content accumulation is monitored over time through categorical and quantitative ...

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...

Multi-environment QTL analysis using recombinant inbred lines tested across vernalization, photoperiod and temperature treatments to identify genomic regions controlling flowering time. Combines contr...

Common garden experiments using recombinant inbred lines to partition genetic and environmental contributions to phenotypic variation. RILs are planted in controlled environments to estimate heritabil...

Experimental manipulation of beetle stridulation ability by surgically removing the plectrum through V-shaped cuts to the elytra, with controls receiving non-functional cuts.

Novel method using programmable LED devices to test color discrimination in free-flying hummingbirds through reward-based choice experiments. Birds choose between tubes displaying different colors in ...

Custom apparatus measuring salamander temperature selection behavior using water-cooled and heated runway with position and body temperature tracking over 3.5 hour trials.

Controlled behavioral experiments using salamanders in tanks with traps at either end to test preferences for different light stimuli and biofluorescent vs. non-biofluorescent mates. Salamanders place...

Deployment and operation of networked embedded sensor nodes for distributed acoustic monitoring using custom hardware and WaveScript programming language. Enables real-time processing and localization...

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

Multi-generation breeding program with controlled matings to estimate heritability of preference traits using pedigree-based models accounting for ZW sex determination system.

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 ...

Standardized protocol for inducing acute stress in amphibians through manual restraint to measure stress hormone response over time. Includes baseline sampling followed by stress induction and tempora...

Pilot-scale biochemical reactor using limestone-buffered organic substrate with bacterial inoculum for anaerobic treatment of mining influenced wastewater under harsh alpine conditions. System operate...

Anaerobic batch incubation experiments using sediment samples and artificial river water to monitor Fe(II) and Mn(II) production and release over time under controlled redox conditions.

Experimental removal of workers of specific sizes from ant colonies to test effects on subsequent reproductive output. Workers were collected, measured, and selectively removed or returned to test siz...

Growth assays testing bacterial ability to utilize different monosaccharides as carbon sources, with spectrophotometric monitoring of growth and HPLC quantification of residual sugars.

Controlled herbivory damage was applied to single ramets of clonal plants using starved specialist beetles until a target damage level was reached. This protocol tests whether plants develop induced d...

Installation of standardized ceramic tiles in stream habitat to provide uniform substrates for biofilm development and subsequent biomass quantification.

Near-isogenic lines contrasting at the BCMA1/3 locus were transplanted into 16 field environments across Colorado and Idaho to measure fitness components including survival and herbivore damage. Uses ...

Electroporation of dsRNA into developing pupal wings to knock down gene expression and test for homeotic transformations of scale types

Larval energetic reserves were manipulated by removing cases just prior to pupation, forcing experimental individuals to rebuild cases while controls could re-enter existing cases.

Bees are placed in glass vials within an insulated cooler containing ice and salt to achieve temperatures around -12°C until coma chill onset occurs, then recovery time is measured after return to nor...