Rabbitbrush reproduction and growth measurement (Formicidae)

Knowledge graph centered on Rabbitbrush reproduction and growth measurement (Formicidae) with 22 nodes and 91 connections. Top connected: Ligusticum porteri, Artemisia, mutualistic relationships, herbivory, trophic cascade.

Method synopsis

Standardized measurement of rabbitbrush plant fitness through seed production per initial flower bud and growth via allometric modeling. Includes flower bud counts, seed bagging and harvest, and nondestructive biomass estimation.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 1 paper 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 — Short-term, low-level nitrogen deposition dampens a trophic cascade between bears and plants (2018), Ecology and Evolution. Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Measure plant reproduction
   Collect data on plant performance traits representing reproduction (seed production). Initial flowering bud abundance, representing potential reproduction, was measured on July 19, 2012. Rabbitbrush seed production was measured by bagging flowers in mesh at the end of the arthropod surveys and collecting the mature seed on October 2. The seed was sorted from other plant materials and weighed. Reproduction was then measured as mg seed per initial flower bud.
   Quantities: 144 plants measured for initial flower buds (July 19) and final seed production (October 2)Duration: Initial measurement July 19, 2012; final harvest October 2, 2012Conditions: Mesh bagging to contain seeds until harvest
   Equipment: mesh bags, weighing equipment, seed sorting materials
2. Measure plant growth
   Aboveground plant growth was obtained by calculating the difference between plant mass estimates on July 11 and August 3. These estimates were found nondestructively by applying measures of plant height and cover area to an allometric model developed previously for rabbitbrush at this site.
   Quantities: 144 plants measured on July 11 and August 3Duration: Two measurement dates: July 11 and August 3, 2012Conditions: Nondestructive measurement using allometric model
   Equipment: plant height and cover area measurement tools

Typical Equipment

• mesh bags
• weighing equipment
• seed sorting materials
• plant height and cover area measurement tools

Output Measurements

• mg seed per initial flower bud
• plant growth rate
• initial flower bud abundance

Papers Using This Protocol (1)

Species Studied With This Protocol