Protocols

A method to experimentally reduce trait variance in plant communities by measuring SLA of dominant individuals and selectively removing outliers beyond one standard deviation from the mean.

A technique to mark developing aquatic insect larvae by enriching their habitat with heavy nitrogen isotopes (15N), which becomes incorporated into larval tissues and persists through metamorphosis to...

Experimental removal of 0-5 stigma lobes from gynodioecious Geranium flowers to test the relationship between stigma lobe pollination and ovule fertilization. Includes emasculation of hermaphrodites t...

Artificial reduction of stream flow using rock and sand bag dams with plastic tube diversions to simulate low-flow conditions in mountain streams.

Large-scale manipulation technique using backpack electroshocker to reduce invertebrate densities across a 50-meter stream reach through induced drift, with daily treatments maintained for two weeks. ...

Controlled temperature treatments of fungal isolates with daily digital monitoring of growth area over 14 days to assess temperature effects on growth rates.

Creation and analysis of transgenic Arabidopsis lines expressing candidate genes from study species to test gene function and allelic effects. Uses heterologous expression system to isolate gene effec...

Experimental manipulation of treehopper nymph densities on individual plants using controlled additions of 0, 20, or 80 individuals per plant, followed by weekly monitoring of herbivore and ant abunda...

A field experiment transferring treehoppers between host plants of different species to test chemical camouflage effectiveness. Nymphs are moved from native to novel hosts and survival is measured aft...

Stop-flow and continuous-flow column testing using various influent waters (deionized water, site groundwater, local river water) on uranium-contaminated sediments to determine reactive transport para...

Custom wind tunnel apparatus used to launch seeds at focal plants under controlled wind conditions to measure physical seed trapping rates. Seeds launched individually at 5 m/s wind speed from 15 cm d...

Artificial prey made from green modeling clay are deployed on tree branches to estimate bird attack rates over a standardized time period. Attack marks on clay allow identification of predator type an...

Injection of fluorescein dye to validate groundwater discharge locations and quantify gross groundwater input along stream reaches identified through thermal imagery.

Live-trapping study using parallel transects across habitat gradient to determine species distribution and movement patterns between habitats. Mice marked with colored dye to track individual movement...

Organized plants into spatial clusters and randomly assigned treatments and sampling times within clusters to control for spatial variation.

Researchers cross individuals derived from each of two habitats being evaluated to generate advanced generation hybrids, then map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for fitness components from field recipr...

A controlled injection and extraction test using conservative tracers to evaluate aquifer transport and reactive processes. Involves sequential injection of traced and untraced water, followed by a dr...

Anaerobic incubation of hyporheic sediments with artificial river water for 57 days to study kinetics of Fe(II), Mn(II), DOC and nitrate. Conducted in sealed bottles under N2 atmosphere.

Rearing monarch butterflies on roadside- and prairie-collected milkweed to test effects of road salt runoff on development.

Continuous injection of sodium bromide at the head of study reach for chemical tracer studies.

Field experiments creating F2 and F3 crop-weed hybrid lineages of genetically engineered rice with transgene constructs to test fitness effects under natural conditions.

Clipping dominant plant species to ground level at the beginning and throughout the growing season.

Five sites established along an elevation gradient from 2774m to 3597m with experimental early snowmelt manipulation using paired control and treatment plots.

Five-year exposure of mature forest trees to elevated CO2 concentration using construction crane-operated release system.

Manipulative experiments designed to study terrestrial carbon-cycling responses to global environmental changes.

Large number of groundwater manipulation and biostimulation experiments conducted primarily in plot C study area.

Expression of genes in heterologous systems to study enzyme function and catalytic properties.

Single-packer apparatus testing with in-line flow meter and interval pressure monitoring during drilling advancement.

Controlled experiment where subjects are not given choices, used to test responses under specific conditions without alternatives.

Construction of low-tech structures in riparian areas to raise water table and improve baseflows.

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

Experimental enrichment of floral nectar with sodium using paired plant design with control and sodium-enriched treatments. Applied artificial nectar solutions containing 0.5% NaCl to flowers.

Excavation of soil pits and installation of sensors at 5, 15, and 50 cm depths with proper soil horizon replacement.

NASA funded solar sail technology demonstration mission conducted by L'Garde Inc. for approximately one year to test solar sail propulsion technology.

Replicated split-plot design with snowmelt manipulated at plot level and precipitation manipulated at subplot level.

Dye injection near the Peeler fault zone for tracer studies.

Evaluation of genetic parameters from 193 full-sib and 166 half-sib families in six 10-year-old progeny trials.

Genetic families of seeds were produced using reciprocal factorial crosses and planted into field sites for trait measurement.

Standardised experimental burns on three types of leaf material (fresh, dried and senesced) to measure flammability parameters.