Protocols

Comparison of fitness traits between naturally inbred and outbred plant populations grown in a common garden environment to test for inbreeding depression. Uses matched pairs design with populations p...

Standardized protocol for comparing anesthetic effectiveness by measuring induction and recovery times in salamanders using righting reflex as the endpoint. Animals are immersed in anesthetic solution...

Construction and testing of controlled humidity chambers using saturated salt solutions to maintain precise relative humidity conditions for validating biophysical models against live amphibians

Bumble bee competition levels are experimentally manipulated in controlled flight cage environments by varying the number of conspecific and heterospecific co-visitors while recording focal bee foragi...

In situ freezing treatment using liquid nitrogen and heat exchanger to gradually cool plant tissues to -30°C. Designed to simulate natural freezing events while allowing controlled temperature ramping...

A factorial greenhouse experiment testing effects of 3°C warming and species interactions on biomass production of a hemiparasitic plant and its grass host. Plants were grown in ambient vs. warmed gre...

Neighbor vegetation was planted around potted B. stricta plants at controlled densities (0, 25, 50, 75, 100%) within a 5 cm radius to test causal relationships between neighbor density and plant fitne...

Laboratory-controlled temperature treatments using paired experimental boxes in contrasting thermal environments to test effects of temperature on insect development rates and voltinism.

Controlled experiment testing effects of different soil treatments on transplant survival, growth, and reproductive success with daily watering and weekly monitoring.

Laboratory assays measuring critical thermal minimum (CTmin) and chill coma recovery time (CCRT) to quantify cold tolerance in Drosophila populations.

Sequential exposure of plants to different natural enemies to test for cross-resistance effects mediated by plant defense pathways, measuring performance of second attacker.

Daily forced flight protocol involving 3 × 4 minute flight bouts with rest periods, stimulated by gentle brushing, to experimentally increase energy expenditure in butterflies. Control group remains i...

Controlled exposure of D. geminata cells to different water sources with varying nutrient levels to test cellular division and mat formation responses. Involves transplanting cells between environment...

Systematic placement of monitoring devices along transects perpendicular to trails at fixed distances to assess the spatial effect of human disturbance on wildlife communities.

Plants are subjected to controlled drought conditions by restricting watering frequency and monitoring soil moisture levels. Treatment groups include normal watering, drought-stressed, and drought-rec...

Laboratory column experiments with embedded artificial reducing microsites in natural sediments under controlled flow conditions to test anoxic microsite detection methods.

Experimental manipulation of leaf damage combined with air flow restriction to test volatile-mediated anti-herbivory communication across elevation gradients. Uses artificial leaf clipping with baggin...

Manipulative treatments using rainout shelters to control soil moisture and insecticide applications to control herbivory levels, allowing quantification of driver effects on plant performance.

Experimental transplant of seeds using toothpick adhesion method to precisely track emergence and early survival. Seeds adhered to wooden toothpicks for accurate placement and monitoring in experiment...

Controlled removal of wing tissue from distal edges to simulate wing wear while maintaining wing aspect ratio. Used to test effects of wing damage on flight performance.

Controlled manipulation of foraging ant access and treehopper density on individual rabbitbrush plants to test trophic cascade effects. Used exclusion barriers and manual abundance adjustments in a fa...

Three-way factorial field experiment manipulating herbivory (clipping), nectar robbing (artificial hole-cutting and nectar removal), and seed predation (egg removal) to test additive vs. non-additive ...

Laboratory column experiments using synthetic rainwater to quantify steady-state solute release rates from crushed rock samples. Samples are wet-packed in vertical columns and synthetic rainwater is p...

Researchers employ manipulative provenance trials with pedigreed populations or GWAS panels planted into multiple gardens arrayed across environmental gradients, manipulating key environmental factors...

Individual larvae were reared in floating screen chambers that allowed natural pond conditions while preventing mixing between treatments.

Experimental approach using stocking to encase plants with apparent egg sacks or larvae, and growing galls in moisture-controlled conditions to verify trophic relationships.

Controlled laboratory experiments using pulverized Mancos Shale under simulated groundwater conditions to investigate thorium release mechanisms under different redox conditions.

Transfer of third-instar larvae between ant colonies to manipulate nestmate relatedness and test worker responses to genetic cues in sex allocation decisions.

Controlled food deprivation during larval development by reducing feeding frequency to half that of controls, creating 3-4 periods of 24h food absence. Used to simulate natural resource limitation dur...

Eggs and larvae were monitored from oviposition through pre-pupal development on native and non-native host plants to quantify survival differences and fitness consequences of host choice.

Controlled trials placing two males of different sizes with one female in observation arenas to determine effects of male body size on reproductive success.

Paired study design comparing contaminated mine sites with nearby uncontaminated control sites matched for similar vegetation patterns and environmental conditions. Multiple response variables measure...

Caterpillars were enclosed in mesh bags on plant inflorescences to measure constitutive plant defenses while excluding natural enemies. Development time, pupal mass, mortality and parasitism rates wer...

Experimental protocol to test for circadian rhythmicity in photoperiodic responses by exposing insects to constant day length (12h) with varying night lengths to create non-24h photoperiods, then meas...

Opportunistic use of natural frost events to test differential frost sensitivity between style morphs. Flowers were exposed to freezing temperatures then assessed for reproductive success compared to ...

Factorial experiment testing effects of low-level nitrogen enrichment on trophic cascades using enclosed ant colonies with controlled fertilizer applications. Enclosures contained single ant nests and...

Field manipulation creating pairs of embedded and unembedded emergent rocks of similar characteristics to test substrate selection by ovipositing aquatic insects.

Comparative field study using paired plots in different habitat types (understory vs open meadow) to measure environmental conditions, floral resources, and pollinator visitation during drought condit...

Ten deuteronymph mites were placed in a cylindrical vial with two potential beetle hosts for 5 minutes to assess host selection preferences based on beetle characteristics.

Use of painted concrete pavers with temperature sensors to create thermal gradients and monitor arthropod colonization responses. Combines controlled temperature manipulation with behavioral monitorin...

Controlled experiment using a feeding apparatus with removable clear or opaque panels to test the direct effects of peripheral visual obstruction on marmot vigilance and foraging behavior. Uses within...

A controlled greenhouse experiment using plant leachates prepared by running deionized water through pots containing treatment species, then applying these leachates to test plants to evaluate allelop...

Use of pollen analog particles to characterize dispersal patterns and develop distance-weighted pollen availability indices based on Lomax distribution modeling

Controlled predation experiments in field or laboratory enclosures with known numbers of alternative prey species to test hypotheses about selective predation and measure predation rates. Compares pre...

Field plants were inoculated with different strains of Pseudomonas bacteria using blunt syringes to create infected and control treatments for studying plant-insect interactions.

Factorial resource treatments including water addition (400ml, 4x weekly) and water plus NPK fertilization (20-20-20 at 4ml/L weekly) delivered via drip irrigation to test resource limitation effects ...

A substitutive and additive design varying relative densities of two organisms to determine dynamics between taxa. Uses four relative abundances at three biomass levels to test competition, facilitati...

Common garden experiment manipulating soil microbial communities through sterilization vs. inoculation to test effects on seed germination success and timing under controlled environmental conditions.

Individual plants are marked and tracked over 1-2 growing seasons to quantify herbivore damage, plant growth parameters, and reproductive output through seed counting. Environmental variables affectin...

Laboratory experiment using interconnected bottle arrays to manipulate spatial heterogeneity in protist food webs and test effects on species coexistence.