Protocols

Plastic pan traps with soapy water deployed along stream transects to capture terrestrial invertebrates falling into or near the river. Traps are pooled by transect and processed for taxonomic identif...

2x2 factorial design manipulating temperature and conductivity to test environmental drying cues on caddisfly development and survival. Uses shade manipulation and salt additions to simulate pond dryi...

Annual capture-recapture surveys over 24 years to track individual survival, growth, reproduction and developmental pathways in a polyphenic salamander population. Combines individual marking with det...

Controlled experimental system using circular plastic tanks to test mayfly larval responses to chemical cues by measuring foraging behavior on substrate surfaces before and after treatment application...

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...

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

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

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...

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

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.

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

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...

Factorial experimental design using artificial stream channels to test temperature and nutrient effects on algae growth. Solar heating systems create temperature gradients while drip systems deliver c...

Controlled feeding trials in plastic mesocosms where starved salamanders are presented with multiple prey types and their consumption and foraging behavior is observed and quantified over a fixed time...

Standardized measurement of individual larval dry mass using precision microbalance after oven-drying at controlled temperature. Applied to assess growth and biomass responses to experimental treatmen...

Standard colorimetric method for measuring soluble reactive phosphorus and total dissolved phosphorus in water samples using spectrophotometry. Total dissolved phosphorus samples are first digested wi...

Modified gastric-lavage technique to obtain stomach contents for prey identification, enumeration, and biomass/caloric calculations using published conversion factors.

Short-term incubation of caddisfly larvae in filtered pond water to measure nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates under ambient conditions. Five larvae per species were incubated for one hour in sha...

Organisms are incubated in filtered pond water for one hour to measure nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates through water chemistry analysis before and after incubation.

Larvae offered multiple food choices in aquatic containers with instantaneous behavioral sampling over extended time periods to quantify feeding preferences.

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...

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.

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

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...

Standardized photography protocol using blue light excitation to capture biofluorescence in salamanders under controlled conditions with specific camera settings and positioning.

Opportunistic collection of adult and larval mosquitoes across elevational gradients using standardized collection techniques. Adults collected during blood-feeding attempts, larvae sampled from diver...

Collection and integration of climate variables from multiple databases including temperature, solar radiation, snow metrics, and topographic factors to characterize environmental conditions at study ...

Controlled laboratory experiment comparing survival, growth, and tag retention between PIT-tagged and control salamanders over 90 days to validate tag safety for small amphibians.

Calculation of body condition metrics (mass/SVL³) and derived fitness proxies including condition-weighted reproductive opportunities for males and estimated egg production for females based on body s...

Three-pass electrofishing to estimate fish densities and species composition in stream reaches for characterizing predator presence and abundance.

Collection of adult mosquitoes during blood-seeking behavior and other activities to complement larval surveys and confirm species identifications.

Development and analysis of a seven-dimensional nonlinear differential equation system modeling tiger salamander population dynamics across life stages and morphological forms. The model incorporates ...

Field surveys of river systems to document the relationship between diatom cellular division rates and mat coverage patterns under natural conditions.

DNA extraction using modified Chelex protocols followed by PCR amplification and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene to assess genetic variation within and among mayfly populatio...

Use of ceramic tiles as standardized substrates for measuring benthic algal biomass via chlorophyll-a extraction and fluorometry. Includes grazed vs ungrazed comparisons to assess herbivory effects.

Controlled experiment using flow-through tanks to test whether artificial D. geminata mats (polyester pillow stuffing) provide refuge for T. tubifex from stonefly predation. Treatments included presen...

Laboratory aquarium experiment using surgically modified (de-mented) dragonfly larvae to separate behavioral interference effects from direct predation effects on prey consumption.

Manual removal of invasive diatom D. geminata from stream substrate plots with adjacent controls to test effects on invertebrate community composition and abundance over a three-week period.

Nutrient addition experiments in benthic substrates and sedge biofilms to measure ecosystem demand through exponential decay models. Measures uptake capacity of different pond compartments.

Experimental manipulation of existing egg mass densities on preferred substrates to test whether females exhibit aggregative oviposition behavior in response to conspecific egg presence.

Method for collecting fish skin mucus by gentle rubbing in plastic bags followed by freeze-drying and chemical characterization of mucus components including glycosaminoglycans, hexosamine, and uronic...

Systematic search and compilation of published records of D. geminata blooms with associated soluble reactive phosphorus measurements to characterize global patterns.

Systematic measurement of slope and aspect at grid cell centers using compass and clinometer with clipboard to minimize micro-scale surface variation effects.

Experimental removal of D. geminata cells and stalks from stream rocks to test regrowth capacity under natural conditions with different initial stalk densities.

Modified gut content analysis method that estimates feeding intensity by counting the proportion of abdominal segments containing food rather than identifying specific prey items.

Magnesium hydroxide co-precipitation method using Sargasso Sea water to concentrate low-level soluble reactive phosphorus samples 70-fold prior to colorimetric analysis.

Tracer Additions for Spiraling Curve Characterization method involving simultaneous injection of water tracer and nutrients with downstream breakthrough curve monitoring to quantify reach-scale nutrie...

Complete census of sagebrush individuals within systematic 16m × 16m grids divided into 1m² cells, with measurement of plant dimensions for size estimation.

Custom apparatus measuring salamander temperature selection behavior using water-cooled and heated runway with position and body temperature tracking over 3.5 hour trials.