Open-top chamber warming

Knowledge graph centered on Open-top chamber warming with 76 nodes and 190 connections. Top connected: Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Gothic, Two-form Bumble Bee, Bumble Bees, Yellow-fronted Bumble Bee.

Method synopsis

A 2×2 factorial experiment combining passive warming using open-top chambers with dominant plant species removal across elevational gradients at multiple global mountain sites to test interactive effects of warming and species loss on ecosystem function.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 19 papers using this protocol.

Procedure from a recent peer-reviewed implementation

Steps below were extracted from the most recent peer-reviewed implementation of this protocol in the corpus — Effects of experimental warming on floral scent, display and rewards in two subalpine herbs (2025), Annals of Botany. The protocol was originally introduced by Integrating natural gradients, experiments, and statistical modeling in a distributed network experiment: An example from the WaRM Network (2022), Ecology and Evolution. Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Deploy open-top chambers
   Hexagonal OTCs with sloping sides made of clear SUNLITE corrugated polycarbonate paneling were deployed on June 25-July 6 each year. Each OTC had a base diameter of 1.0 m, top opening diameter of 0.5 m, height of 0.5 m, and was secured to the ground with landscape staples. A 15-cm-wide by 5-cm-tall opening was cut halfway up one panel to increase ventilation. Chambers were placed to encompass 2-5 Ipomopsis plants with elongating inflorescences.
   Quantities: 45 OTCs total (2018: n=5, 2019: n=5, 2021: n=12 at RMBL; 2021: n=9 at Maxfield Meadow; 2019: n=5, 2021: n=9 at Spring Creek site)Duration: Deployed annually before flower buds had elongated, remained in field for 27-54 days until measurements endedConditions: Deployed during late June to early July before flowering commenced
   Equipment: SUNLITE corrugated polycarbonate paneling, landscape staples, wooden dowel mounts
2. Monitor temperatures
   HOBO Pendant Temperature Data Loggers were mounted on wooden dowels 30 cm above ground to record air temperatures at 15 min intervals. Mean temperature was calculated from all data loggers from each treatment for every hour when volatiles were sampled. Additional data loggers were placed at 65 of the 90 possible locations in the experiment using a 12 cm probe (HydroSense II) to measure soil moisture and temperature.
   Quantities: Data loggers at each OTC and ambient treatment location, 65 of 90 possible locations monitored

Typical Equipment

• transparent hexagonal open-top chambers (OTCs)
• iButtons (Thermochron & Hygrochron ibuttons, Maxim Integrated Corp., San Jose, CA, USA)
• hand-clipping tools

Output Measurements

• air temperature
• soil temperature
• plant community composition
• ecosystem function metrics

Papers Using This Protocol (19)

Species Studied With This Protocol

Places Where Used