Protocols

Continuous collection of local weather data at 5-minute intervals throughout growing seasons to capture fine-scale environmental variation affecting disease dynamics.

High-resolution integrated hydrological modeling using coupled PRMS-MODFLOW system to simulate surface water and groundwater interactions extending 400 m into subsurface. Model accounts for complex te...

Systematic point count surveys conducted along an elevational gradient to assess current species distributions. Each site has four sampling points with standardized observation periods, replicated acr...

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...

Quantitative analysis of pollen grain composition in bee provisions using compound microscopy. Pollen samples stained with fuchsin and examined at 100× magnification with systematic transect counting ...

Installation of three 10-meter deep monitoring wells along a hillslope transect equipped with suction lysimeters, pressure transducers, and temperature sensors for long-term subsurface monitoring. Wel...

29-year experimental warming using overhead infrared radiators to increase soil temperature by 2°C in subalpine grassland plots. Heat flux of 22 W/m² applied continuously from 1991-2019.

Time-lapse camera monitoring of aquatic insect landing and oviposition behavior on paired emergent rocks with different embedding characteristics. Combines behavioral observation with egg mass countin...

Systematic collection of water samples from ponds across a hydroperiod gradient for analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. Samples collected at multiple time points to capture temporal variati...

Wood samples are sectioned into sub-annual increments and cellulose is extracted for oxygen and carbon isotope analysis to assess seasonal water sources and water use efficiency in trees.

Collection of nitrogen samples via syringe filtration and chlorophyll samples via algae collection from submerged rocks, with spectrophotometric analysis normalized by substrate area.

Factorial experiment crossing nitrogen addition treatments with dominant species removal treatments in replicated plots to test community responses to multiple global change drivers. Includes both sel...

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...

Weekly monitoring of fly oviposition on flowers and assessment of fruit damage by predispersal seed predators including fly larvae and caterpillars to quantify reproductive success and seed predation ...

Volatile organic compounds were sampled from single flowers using dynamic headspace sampling, then analyzed with thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify and quantify floral...

Comprehensive chemical analysis of water samples including major ions, trace metals, and conservative tracers using multiple analytical techniques. Includes field measurements and laboratory analyses ...

Standardized metal can pitfall traps baited with chicken drumsticks, deployed along elevation gradients to monitor burying beetle abundance and species composition.

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.

Fluorometric analysis of ammonia in water samples using working reagent that produces fluorescent compound when reacting with ammonia. Uses quadruplicate sampling and background correction.

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...

Meta-analytical approach to synthesize population-level climate sensitivities across multiple species using structured population models and standardized effect sizes. Incorporates life history traits...

Long-term systematic collection of first sighting and median activity dates for plants, insects, mammals, amphibians and birds in a high-elevation montane ecosystem. Standardized protocols track flowe...

Hydrological modeling approach that stratifies mountain watersheds by elevation zones to quantify water budget components and assess climate change impacts on streamflow and groundwater storage.

Controlled microcosm experiments measuring invertebrate-mediated breakdown of sedge detritus by quantifying mass loss of coarse and fine particulate organic matter over time. Uses standardized biomass...

Integration of ground-based GPR, manual measurements, and airborne sensors for comprehensive snow property mapping. Combines high-precision point measurements with spatially extensive remote sensing d...

Standardized measurements of wing length and dried body mass components under stereomicroscope to quantify adult fitness proxies and assess elevation effects on body size.

Mixed-effects modeling approach to partition phenotypic variance into genetic and environmental components using pedigree information and repeated measures data.

Standardized measurement of floral reflectance spectra using fiber optic probe positioned at fixed distance and angle from flower surface. Spectra collected across 300-700 nm range for input into visu...

Measurement of water-use efficiency differences between plant sexes using leaf carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) to understand mechanistic basis of sex-specific climate responses.

A novel approach to measure light response curves for entire plant communities rather than individual plants using tent-based gas exchange measurements across multiple light levels. This method contro...

Calculation of multiple phylogenetic diversity metrics for plant communities using established phylogenetic trees and null model approaches to test for phylogenetic clustering or overdispersion.

Integrated groundwater flow and reactive transport modeling using PHT-USG coupled with MODFLOW-USG for geochemical reactions and PHREEQC for reaction modeling. Includes parameter estimation using PEST...

Complete census of all individual plants in gridded plots with spatial mapping, tissue sampling, and photosynthetic area measurement for metabolic rate estimation in herbaceous plant communities.

Systematic collection of sediment samples from floodplain sites at regular depth intervals followed by DNA extraction and metagenomic sequencing to characterize microbial communities.

Multi-parameter assessment of beaver pond physical characteristics including area, depth, flow velocity, and beaver activity indicators to control for habitat differences in community analyses.

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...

Weekly monitoring of plant phenology, morphological traits, and density across an elevational gradient to assess phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental conditions. Uses standardized phenol...

Year-round automated temperature logging with HOBO sensors to detect snowmelt timing and calculate temperature-precipitation ratios during bee activity periods. Integrates with local weather station d...

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.

Size-structured population model that incorporates climate effects on vital rates to project population dynamics and calculate population growth rates. Uses continuous size distributions and matrix pr...

Long-term standardized sampling of aerial insects using a single Malaise trap at a fixed location operated weekly throughout growing seasons. Insects are collected, dried, sorted taxonomically, counte...

Application of METE mathematical framework to predict species-area relationships and species-abundance distributions based on community state variables and entropy maximization principles.

Time-lapse UAV surveys using RGB and multispectral cameras to monitor vegetation indices (NDVI, GCC) and plant height changes across a hillslope transect during growing seasons.

Quantified natural selection on floral traits by measuring relationships between trait values, pollinator visitation rates, and reproductive success. Calculated standardized selection differentials to...

Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence using LI-600 to assess photosynthetic efficiency by quantifying light emission from chlorophyll molecules excited by solar radiation.

Comprehensive measurement of stream physical and chemical parameters including substrate characteristics, water quality, and algal biomass. Provides environmental context for species distribution patt...

Territory delineation by following singing males and recording GPS coordinates of singing locations to map territory boundaries and calculate area and perimeter.

Individual caddisflies are observed for fixed time periods to record movement patterns, social interactions, and aggressive behaviors. Follows established protocols for recording specific behaviors li...

Standard increment boring technique to extract tree cores for measuring annual ring widths, then calculating basal area increment over specific time periods to quantify stem growth.

Collection of soil inocula from resident (high elevation) and novel (low elevation) sites across elevation gradients in mountain ecosystems, with subsequent sterilization treatments to isolate microbi...