Field seed retention monitoring (Asteraceae)

Knowledge graph centered on Field seed retention monitoring (Asteraceae) with 42 nodes and 131 connections. Top connected: Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Asteraceae, Lupinus prunophilus, Lupinus caespitosus, Penstemon strictus.

Method synopsis

Field experiment comparing seed retention rates between vegetated and nonvegetated sites over multiple time intervals. Seeds manually placed on plants and monitored for dispersal vs. retention over 11 days.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 1 paper using this protocol.

Procedure as described in the canonical source

Steps below were extracted from the paper that introduces this protocol — Wind-driven seed dispersal differentially promotes seed trapping and retention across alpine plants (2026), American Journal of Botany. Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Prepare seeds for retention experiment
   Collected seeds from focal seed plants within 500 m of study site. Seeds were stored until August 2019 and dusted with colored fluorescent powder before deployment. Dusted all seeds with UV reactive powder (GloMania, West Valley City, UT, USA) to increase seed visibility, using different colors to contrast with neighboring sites to reduce risk of misattributed seeds.
   Quantities: 2924 seeds deployed from 167 individuals across speciesDuration: Seeds stored until August 2019Conditions: Seeds stored in open air as done by Pérez-Harguindeguy et al. (2013)
   Equipment: UV reactive powder (GloMania), collection containers
2. Deploy seeds for retention experiment
   Used forceps to individually place seeds on scree surface either beneath plant canopy or within 0-3 cm of nail head at paired nonvegetated area. Deployed seeds from one species (5 seeds) in smallest plants and up to six species (30 seeds) in largest plants to avoid seed overlap. Deployed same quantity and identity of seed species at paired nonvegetated sites but with contrasting colors. Avoided selecting focal plants with neighbors within 30 cm distance and multi-individual clusters.
   Quantities: 5-30 seeds per site depending on plant size. Total: Agoseris glauca (N=125, 579), Elymus lanceolatus (28, 450), Eremogone congesta (16, 161), Eriogonum umbellatum (54, 589), Heterotheca villosa (23, 581), Senecio crassulus (21, 564). Also received Elymus lanceolatus (N=12), Eriogonum umbellatum (n=14), Heterotheca villosa (N=12), Ivesia gordonii (N=14), Lupinus argenteus (N=15), Senecio crassulus (N=16)Duration: Deployed at 40 sites on first day (29 August 2019), completed deployment next day

Typical Equipment

• forceps
• UV reactive powder
• Davis Cup Anemometer
• orange nails

Output Measurements

• seed retention probability
• dispersal rates
• site type effects

Papers Using This Protocol (1)

Species Studied With This Protocol

Places Where Used