Protocols

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

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

Systematic establishment of gridded plots across watersheds followed by long-term monitoring of tagged individual trees for mortality and recruitment rates. Combined with environmental characterizatio...

Cytotype inference using twelve multinational microsatellites with 97% correct classification for cytotype. Individual plants defined as diploid or triploid based on maximum number of alleles observed...

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...

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...

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.

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 ...

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...

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...

Systematic point sampling along transects to quantify vegetation composition and forage quality metrics. Modified from standard methods described in Wilkening et al. 2011.

Integration of gridMET temperature data, MODIS snowmelt timing, and PARFLOW-CLM soil moisture simulations to create multi-temporal environmental predictor datasets with quantified drought metrics.

A standardized protocol for preparing plant leaves through chemical clearing and measuring vein density using microscopy and stochastic line-intersection analysis. Leaves are dried, cleared with sodiu...

Airborne hyperspectral imaging (380-2500 nm) and LiDAR data collection at 1 m resolution, followed by machine learning algorithms to produce aspen cover and cytotype distribution maps.

Systematic compilation and cleaning of plant trait records from multiple databases to create a comprehensive tundra plant trait dataset. Combined TRY database records with Tundra Trait Team contributi...

Field measurement of leaf temperature and air temperature relationships across multiple species and ecosystems to characterize thermal response slopes (β values). Data collection involves simultaneous...

Unmanned aerial vehicle flights with multispectral camera to capture georeferenced imagery of forest canopy in five spectral bands, with radiometric calibration using reference panel and downwelling l...

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...

Collection of VSWIR field spectra at leaf- and mineral-levels using an Analytical Spectral Devices FieldSpec 3 spectroradiometer with contact probe and leaf clip attachments.

Endmember spectral measurements using contact probe attachment with internal bulb illumination for close-contact surface measurements.

Laboratory technique to determine ploidy level, validated against Hordeum vulgare standards.

Collection of site spectra to validate airborne hyperspectral data acquired by NEON Aerial Observation Platform.

Field surveys to quantify percent canopy dieback and tree mortality following severe droughts.

Direct measurement of aboveground biomass on 673 trees across five tropical countries. Compilation of tree mass dataset including 101 trees greater than 100 cm in diameter.