Protocols

Pollen-transport interactions were analyzed using network metrics including weighted connectance, linkage density, weighted nestedness, specialization and robustness calculated with R package bipartit...

Extraction of environmental variables from spatial data platform using zonal functions to calculate average climate values within tree polygon boundaries. Integrates snowpack, temperature, and topogra...

Uses hyperspectral imaging (400-1000 nm) combined with Partial Least Squares Regression to correlate spectral signatures with measured leaf traits like LMA and LWC. Enables non-destructive remote meas...

Systematic predator monitoring during behavioral observations to quantify predation pressure. Creates predation index by dividing predator counts by observation time per colony site.

Assessment of female reproductive success through behavioral observation of pup emergence from natal burrows and pedigree analysis to assign offspring to mothers.

Quantitative XRD analysis of powdered rock samples using Rietveld refinement to determine mineral concentrations and spatial distribution. Samples analyzed under multiple conditions including ethylene...

Sampling of 3H and 4He environmental tracers from screened groundwater wells to constrain groundwater age distributions and validate numerical model predictions of mixing between modern and pre-modern...

Time-series analysis of Landsat and Sentinel satellite imagery to determine seasonal snow disappearance dates using Normalized Difference Snow Index with interpolation algorithms to fill temporal gaps...

Multivariate analysis technique to quantify community responses over time. Treatment weights indicate response magnitude and species weights show individual taxa responses.

Standardized sampling of large and small benthic invertebrates using D-net sweeps and benthic cores, with zooplankton sampling using mesh nets. Animals identified to species or family level for commun...

Complete excavation of plants followed by separation into above-ground, below-ground, and reproductive components, with subsequent drying and weighing to determine biomass allocation patterns.

Bayesian statistical approach to simultaneously estimate individual lifetime means and variances in social traits from longitudinal data. Controls for age effects and repeated measures while quantifyi...

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.

Standardized 4-minute test immediately following open field test where a mirror is revealed to measure sociability and aggressive responses toward conspecific image, recorded via overhead camera.

PLSR modeling approach using leaf spectral reflectance measurements to extrapolate functional trait values from subset of direct measurements to larger sample sizes. Ten-fold cross-validation used for...

Transplant butterflies between high and low elevation sites to quantify differences in flight initiation timing and thermal sensitivity across elevation gradients using caged trials.

Colony sites are visited daily starting April 19th each year to record the first emergence date of individual marmots from hibernation through direct observation and sign detection.

Low-temperature thermochronological method measuring helium accumulation in apatite grains to determine cooling ages and thermal histories. Involves helium extraction, parent isotope measurement, and ...

Collection and processing of biofilm samples from natural and artificial substrates to quantify biomass, algal content, and nutrient content through AFDM, chlorophyll-a, and phosphorus analysis.

Daily monitoring of individual female butterflies including artificial feeding with sucrose solution and daily egg collection. Measures lifetime reproductive output and adult lifespan under controlled...

DNA extraction, tagmentation-based library preparation, and Illumina sequencing to generate whole-genome sequence data from butterfly specimens. Modified DNeasy protocol followed by Tn5 tagmentation a...

Standard chloroform fumigation direct extraction technique for measuring soil microbial biomass, combined with soil chemistry analysis and enzyme activity assays.

Experimental clipping treatment designed to reduce plant photosynthetic capacity by approximately 50% through removal of stems. Used to simulate herbivory stress and examine effects on mycorrhizal ass...

Floral resource availability was quantified by counting flowers while walking in progressively larger circles from a central point until reaching 100 flowers or 100m radius. Density was calculated as ...

Vegetation greenness assessment using Green Chromatic Coordinate as proxy for evapotranspiration rates. Calculates green reflectance normalized by total visible flux from masked vegetation areas.

Continuous infrared thermal imaging of vegetation plots at 5-second intervals from sunrise to sunset using elevated FLIR cameras to capture leaf temperature dynamics across environmental gradients.

Systematic assessment of flower color variation across environmental gradients using standardized color categories and plot-based sampling. Combines phenotypic scoring with environmental variable meas...

Systematic collection and spectrophotometric analysis of flowers across elevation gradients to quantify color variation. Targets pollinator-visible flower regions and converts reflectance to pollinato...

Uses stable isotope ratios (δ²H and δ¹⁸O) of precipitation and streamflow to quantify the relative contributions of snow versus rain to streamflow and evapotranspiration through endmember mixing and s...

Quantitative measurement of dust particle deposition rates using filter paper disks placed at varying distances from unpaved roads, with microscopic particle counting at standardized sampling points.

Experimental manipulation of natural floral orientations combined with pollen supplementation to test effects on seed set and female fitness.

Artificial stream channels with controlled flow regimes and nutrient treatments to test effects of phosphorus availability on D. geminata growth and bloom formation.

High-resolution mass spectrometry analysis using Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance to characterize the molecular composition of organic matter in different chemical extractions.

Photographs of soil pit faces are overlaid with 1×1 cm grids to systematically score presence or absence of fine and coarse roots in each grid cell, providing depth-resolved estimates of root spatial ...

Quantitative analysis of the relationship between sapsucker damage patterns on aspen trees and proximity to willow habitat, using distance measurements and damage assessment.

Standard Illumina library preparation using Nextera XT kit followed by paired-end sequencing on HiSeq 2500 platform to generate comprehensive metagenomic datasets from phylloplane microbial communitie...

Plant biomass consumption by herbivores is quantified using before-and-after digital photographs with standardized reference objects. Image analysis software calculates the difference in plant materia...

Construction of Integral Projection Models using vital rate data to project population persistence under different climate scenarios and estimate stochastic population growth rates.

Live-trapping of marmots to assess docility through standardized behavioral responses during capture and handling, including alarm calling propensity in trap situations.

In-situ measurement of temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and barometric pressure at multiple points around each pond during peak photosynthetic activity. Provides standardized water chemistry profile...

Random plot establishment along elevational gradients followed by soil coring and root extraction to quantify coarse and fine root biomass allocation patterns. Ground cover composition is estimated to...

Vegetation composition and diversity are compared between paired 1m² plots with and without Castilleja presence to assess community-level effects of parasitism. Plots are positioned as close as possib...

Flowers are bagged to prevent natural parasitism, then exposed to controlled introductions of parasitoid wasps or ambient parasitoid activity, followed by assessment of parasitism effects on seed pred...

Statistical approach to test causal pathways between herbivory, plant characteristics, and reproductive output using multiple linked regression models with model selection based on information criteri...

A standard comparative method that controls for evolutionary relationships among species by analyzing evolutionary changes along phylogenetic branches rather than raw species values. Uses software to ...

Standardized searches for fresh pika sign including visual and auditory detection of individuals and fresh food caches (haypiles) to determine current site occupancy. Sites without initial detection r...

Daily water and energy budget modeling at 100-m grid resolution using the US Geological Survey Precipitation-Modeling Runoff System (PRMS) with climate forcing from SNOTEL stations and LiDAR snow obse...

Deployment of novel puzzle boxes with multiple solution pathways to test problem-solving ability and innovation in wild animals. Video recorded trials allow detailed behavioral analysis of problem-sol...

Random Forest regression to predict ecosystem drought sensitivity from hydrological and topographic variables. Uses bootstrapped subsampling with multiple regression trees to identify key predictive v...

Field experiment testing seed germination of different genotypes/treatments in natural microhabitats of related species to assess niche requirements and differentiation.