Protocols

Controlled experiment manipulating predator presence by establishing artificial aphid colonies, protecting them from natural predators, then adding lygus bugs to treatment plants. Includes ant bridge ...

Standardized 2-hour baiting experiments using 5 different resource types arranged in pentagonal plots to sample ant communities and assess dominance patterns. Records ant abundance and identity at reg...

Experimental manipulation using physical barriers to exclude ants from aphid colonies while maintaining control colonies with ant access. Uses paired treatment design on same plants to test effects of...

Field capture of wild bumblebees followed by temporary immobilization through cold-induced chill coma to enable precise measurement of tongue length and body size. Individuals are released unharmed af...

Combined direct visual observation during peak activity periods with motion-activated camera bucket traps to determine species presence/absence in meadow habitats. Camera traps used small entry holes ...

Standardized pellet count method for estimating deer density using systematic transect surveys with random placement. Identifies scat to species level where possible to distinguish herbivore types usi...

Controlled experiment using feeding stations paired with predator scent cues to test antipredator behavioral responses. Individual feeding times are recorded to quantify vigilance behavior in response...

Standard live-trapping protocol using Longworth traps in grid arrays for mark-recapture population estimation of small mammals with individual marking and release.

Standardized wet sieving method using Yoder device to determine soil aggregate size distributions. Measures water-stable aggregates across multiple size classes to assess soil structure.

Camera traps deployed along trails in a stratified random design to detect wildlife presence and estimate occupancy while accounting for detection probability. Cameras moved weekly within zones to sam...

Plant cover measured using 1 m² quadrats divided into 1 dm² cells, counting filled cells to nearest 0.25 dm². Height measured to maximum plant extension. Volume calculated as cover × height/10.

A two-phase field protocol using training baits scented with plant chemicals followed by two-choice tests to assess whether ants form associative memories linking plant odors to carbohydrate rewards. ...

Used raster analysis in ArcGIS to identify suitable ground squirrel habitat by combining landcover and canopy height data, then calculated distance-from-cover metrics using buffer operations. This met...

Standardized method using funnel, filter paper and drainage to measure maximum water holding capacity of soil samples. Involves saturating soil, draining for set time, then oven-drying to calculate wa...

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...

PERMANOVA testing of volatile composition differences across species and years, with NMDS visualization of chemical dissimilarity patterns.

Systematic collection and GPS mapping of predator scats along established trail networks to quantify spatial patterns of predator activity relative to human disturbance. Scat density is calculated per...

Multiple candidate models incorporating different combinations of climate predictors were fitted and ranked using Akaike Information Criterion to select optimal models for demographic functions.

Field-based study of ant interactions with pollinators on Helianthella quinquenervis, involving ant identification and behavioral observations. Protocol development included ant keying skills and hone...

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...

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.

Exhaustive visual surveys of arthropod abundance on randomly selected male and female plants conducted across multiple years to quantify sex-biased community structure.

Calculation and statistical analysis of plant biomass allocation between vegetative and reproductive tissues using arcsin transformations and three-way ANOVA.

Visual counting method for arthropods on sagebrush plants involving systematic counting of mobile species first (to avoid double-counting) followed by sedentary species. Targets mutualistic and non-mu...

Systematic field observation of trophic interactions between organisms, primarily plants and insects, with rotating temporal sampling across multiple sites to record feeding relationships and interact...

Calculation of site-specific wetness indices using mean annual precipitation and temperature data to characterize local climate conditions for experimental sites.

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...

Use existing citizen science bird observation data from eBird database to characterize bird abundance and diversity patterns across environmental gradients. Data is filtered for quality and geographic...

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.

Three dominance scores calculated for each species at each site where it occurred to assess competitive hierarchies.