Asking the pikas politely…
17 protocols
Controlled choice experiments measuring butterfly oviposition preference between plant species using matched plant materials in screen cages. Preference quantified as proportion of eggs laid on test p...
Comprehensive measurement of forewing length, wing melanism, and setal length from pinned butterfly specimens using digital micrometry, photography, and microscopy. Wing melanism quantified using stan...
Extraction and quantification of desulfated glucosinolates from plant leaves using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and charged aerosol detection. Follows established desulfatio...
Transplant butterflies between high and low elevation sites to quantify differences in flight initiation timing and thermal sensitivity across elevation gradients using caged trials.
Daily monitoring of individual female butterflies including artificial feeding with sucrose solution and daily egg collection. Measures lifetime reproductive output and adult lifespan under controlled...
DNA extraction, tagmentation-based library preparation, and Illumina sequencing to generate whole-genome sequence data from butterfly specimens. Modified DNeasy protocol followed by Tn5 tagmentation a...
Plant biomass consumption by herbivores is quantified using before-and-after digital photographs with standardized reference objects. Image analysis software calculates the difference in plant materia...
Mark-release-recapture protocol for tracking individual butterfly movements among meadow patches using unique felt pen markings and systematic site visits.
Photography of butterfly landing sites using polarizing lens to measure landscape contrast between landing spots and surrounding areas. Photos analyzed using ImageJ to calculate gray scale contrast va...
CO2 emission measurement using flow-through respirometry to quantify resting metabolic rate and flight metabolic capacity in individual butterflies. Includes forced flight trials with chamber agitatio...
Statistical analysis of flower constancy using Bateman's index and modified Cindex with randomization tests to determine whether butterflies exhibit constant foraging behavior.
A controlled feeding experiment where individual first instar larvae are offered different plant species and their gut content accumulation is monitored over time through categorical and quantitative ...
Systematic sampling of soil fungal communities across vegetation disturbance gradients in subalpine meadows using replicated plot design with grid-based soil core collection.
Systematic vegetation sampling along parallel transects between sites to quantify matrix composition and calculate proportional cover of different vegetation types.
Multi-generation breeding program with controlled matings to estimate heritability of preference traits using pedigree-based models accounting for ZW sex determination system.
Daily forced flight protocol involving 3 × 4 minute flight bouts with rest periods, stimulated by gentle brushing, to experimentally increase energy expenditure in butterflies. Control group remains i...
Controlled food deprivation during larval development by reducing feeding frequency to half that of controls, creating 3-4 periods of 24h food absence. Used to simulate natural resource limitation dur...