Evaluate the collective function of references cited together in a given text segment.
Classify their combined role into one of the following categories: 'method', 'background', or 'result'.

Text:At this site we have already carried out a local-scale analysis (Spagnuolo et al. 2007). For the small-scale analysis, 56 shoots were analysed in a grid of 35 cm 9 40 cm with mesh of 5 cm 9 5 cm (Fig. 1), so that we could estimate clonal size/shape and growth pattern. 162 J Plant Res (2009) 122:161–170
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