rainout shelter

Knowledge graph centered on rainout shelter with 75 nodes and 163 connections. Top connected: Hummingbird, Bombus, Ipomopsis, Delphinium, I. aggregata.

Method synopsis

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.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 13 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 — The function of floral orientation in bluebells: interactions with pollinators and rain in two species of <i> Mertensia </i> (Boraginaceae) (2019), Journal of Plant Ecology. The protocol was originally introduced by Effects of water addition on below- and above-ground carbon processes across a montane elevational gradient (2008). Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Apply watering treatments
   Set up 1.0 × 1.0 m plots in natural populations with each plot raised above the ground using plastic pipes so rainwater runs off. Place a 1.2 × 1.2 m corrugated polycarbonate sheet on an angle over each plot. Manipulate plants into either pendant or upright floral orientation. Apply one of two watering treatments: spray water over entire plant including flowers from above and from the sides, or spray water on soil while avoiding flowers. Apply two applications of 65 ml of water per plant, resulting in total of 130 ml per plant.
   Quantities: Four 1.0 × 1.0 m plots per species, 2 × 2 factorial design, five flowers per plant selected for hand pollinationDuration: Two watering applications before and after hand-pollination eventConditions: June precipitation in Crested Butte averages ~3.3 cm
   Equipment: plastic pipes, 1.2 × 1.2 m corrugated polycarbonate sheets, spray equipment, bent and looped metal wire

Typical Equipment

• precipitation manipulation system
• leaf area measurement tools
• growth measurement equipment
• water-use efficiency measurement apparatus
• biomass measurement tools
• flower counting equipment
• morphological measurement instruments

Output Measurements

• relative growth rate
• specific leaf area
• water-use efficiency
• survival probability
• biomass
• flower number
• floral morphology

Papers Using This Protocol (13)

Species Studied With This Protocol