The Victorian Alpine Plot Network Vegetation – Phenology Transect Package contains phenology data which are sampled on the same dates, three times a year at transects situated at an altitude of 1400 m to 1880 m. These transects were established as a natural experiment - to provide infrastructure to validate the findings from the ATEX manipulated, experimental plots. The aim is to describe the phonological responses of alpine plants to environmental variables and assess the usefulness of this measure to assess vulnerability to changing abiotic (e.g. climate) and biotic (e.g. invasive species) factors. This is part of a dataset that spans from during data collected in 2011 to document long-term effects directly through climate and indirectly through biotic interactions (see methods for more information). The Victorian Alpine Plot Network research plots are revisited 4 times per year. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Victorian Alpine Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/victorian-alpine

The Victorian Alpine Plot Network Vegetation (Insect flower visitors) Data Package contains phenology data which are sampled on the same dates, three times a year at transects situated at an altitude of 1400 m to 1880 m. These transects were established as a natural experiment - to provide infrastructure to validate the findings from the ATEX manipulated, experimental plots. The aim is to describe the phonological responses of alpine plants to environmental variables and assess the usefulness of this measure to assess vulnerability to changing abiotic (e.g. climate) and biotic (e.g. invasive species) factors. This is part of a dataset that spans from during data collected in 2011 to document long-term effects directly through climate and indirectly through biotic interactions (see methods for more information). This data package is associated with the following publication: Johanson, L. G., Hoffmann, A. A., Walker, K. L. and Nash, M. A. (2018), Bees of the Victorian Alps: Network structure and interactions of introduced species. Austral Ecology. doi:10.1111/aec.12669

This data package comprises data from a series of hemispherical photographs taken in July 2013 and May 2015 at the Connell Rainforest Plot near O’Reilly’s Guest House, 85 km south of Brisbane, Queensland. The 2.0 ha site consists of separate 1.0 ha plots separated by 600 m, but they have always been treated as a single entity. The site consists of mapped and tagged trees in all size classes from tiny seedlings to large canopy trees. Rates of recruitment, growth and mortality have been measured at intervals of 1-6 years with records extending back to 1963. The primary determinant of growth rate in the understory is light. Gaps created by the death of large canopy trees have been systematically surveyed many times over the decades until 2002, with the boundaries of the gaps being noted on hand drawn maps. These maps have never been digitized, and the originals are held at the University of California. Copies of some later maps are held by Green at La Trobe University. A digital camera with a fish-eye lens was used for the first time in 2013 to measure understory light environments along the seedling transects. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/connell-rainforest.

This data package comprises data from a series of hemispherical photographs taken in July 2013, at the Connell Rainforest Plot near O’Reilly’s Guest House, 85 km south of Brisbane, Queensland. The 2.0 ha site consists of separate 1.0 ha plots separated by 600 m, but they have always been treated as a single entity. The site consists of mapped and tagged trees in all size classes from tiny seedlings to large canopy trees. Rates of recruitment, growth and mortality have been measured at intervals of 1-6 years with records extending back to 1963. The primary determinant of growth rate in the understorey is light. Gaps created by the death of large canopy trees have been systematically surveyed many times over the decades until 2002, with the boundaries of the gaps being noted on hand drawn maps. These maps have never been digitized, and the originals are held at the University of California. Copies of some later maps are held by Green at La Trobe University. 2013 was the first year a digital camera with a fish-eye lens was used to measure understorey light environments along the seedling transects. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Connell Rainforest Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/connell-rainforest.

The Victorian Alpine Plot Network Vegetation Data Package contains vegetation data for four sites situated on the Bogong High Plains. Sites, which comprise multiple 1 square metre plots, are visited every second snow-free season. Vegetative growth is recorded in seven selected species, namely Carex breviculmis, Poa hiemata (Graminiods) and Celmisia pugioniformis, Erigeron bellidioides, and Plantago euryphylla (Forbs), and stems of Asterolasia trymalioides and Pimelea alpine by measuring growth amounts and converting measurements into a relative rate. This is part of a larger dataset that spans from during data collected in 2003 to document long-term effects of climate change (see methods for more information). The Victorian Alpine Plot Network research plots are revisited on a biannual basis , though measurements taken during surveys differ from visit to visit. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Victorian Alpine Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/victorian-alpine

The Victorian Alpine Plot Network Vegetation (Insect flower visitors) Data Package contains phenology data which are sampled on the same dates, three times a year at transects situated at an altitude of 1400 m to 1880 m. These transects were established as a natural experiment - to provide infrastructure to validate the findings from the ATEX manipulated, experimental plots. The aim is to describe the phonological responses of alpine plants to environmental variables and assess the usefulness of this measure to assess vulnerability to changing abiotic (e.g. climate) and biotic (e.g. invasive species) factors. This is part of a dataset that spans from during data collected in 2011 to document long-term effects directly through climate and indirectly through biotic interactions (see methods for more information). The Victorian Alpine Plot Network research plots are revisited 4 times per year. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Victorian Alpine Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/victorian-alpine

We measured 5 years of growth of 335 Cyathea australis and Dicksonia antarctica after a large wildfire in 2009 in south-eastern Australia. The ferns were in 4 separate geographic locations (Wallaby Creek, Marysville, Toolangi and O’Shannassy) and sites within each area had different environmental variables, which were measured (slope, aspect, elevation). Tree ferns had overall height measured using a tape measure and the new post-fire growth measured using calipers. The tree ferns were measured to determine average growth rates of the two species and which of the environmental variables were important for fern growth. We found growth rates of these two species were largely unaffected by static environmental variables or geographic location. However, growth rates were significantly related to initial height at the time of the fire; a finding consistent in both species and all geographic locations. These data underpinned the conclusions and analysis in the paper "Non-linear growth in tree ferns, Dicksonia antarctica and Cyathea australis" by David P. Blair, Wade Blanchard, Sam C. Banks, David B. Lindenmayer published in PLOS ONE (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176908).

This package contains floristics data collected at sites of soil probe surveys in Dharawal National Park in 2018. The presence or absence of a variety of plant species was noted across a series of quadrats and tallied to produce frequency scores for each species. The Upland Heath Swamps Plot Network research plots commenced in 1983 and have been revisited in 2004, 2009 and again in 2014. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Upland Heath Swamps Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/upland-heath-swamps.

The Victorian Tall Eucalypt Forest Plot Network Vegetation Survey Data contains transect, plot- and subplot-based vegetation data collected from 175 spread across the montane ash forests of the Central Highlands in Victoria, Australia. Vegetation related data is collected annually from 105 of 163 (175 in 2013) sites (mainly sites burnt in 2009) and every 2 to 3 years from the remaining 70 sites (unburnt sites). Vegetation species are recorded along transects. A Height versus Diameter matrix is used to record all woody plants and tree ferns over 2m in height within the three 10 x 10 m plots situated along the transect. A basal sweep is done in the middle of each 10x10 m plot. Basal Area Factor 1m squared is used with the number of Acacia species recorded, as well as whether the tree is alive or dead. Seedling plots (1m x1m) are located in the middle of each of the three 10mx10m plots and all living plant species which are less than 5 m in height with their bases rooted within the 1 x 1 m plots are recorded by height increments in the table. This is part of a much larger dataset that began in 1983, when the Victorian Tall Eucalypt Forest Plot Network research plots commenced. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Victorian Tall Eucalypt Forest Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/victorian-tall-eucalypt-forest

The Victorian Tall Eucalypt Forest Plot Network Vegetation Survey Data contains transect, plot- and subplot-based vegetation data collected from 175 sites spread across the montane ash forests of the Central Highlands in Victoria, Australia. This is part of a much larger dataset that began in 1983, when the Victorian Tall Eucalypt Forest Plot Network research plots commenced. Vegetation related data is collected annually from 105 of 175 sites (mainly sites burnt in 2009) and every 2 to 3 years from the remaining 70 sites (unburnt sites). Vegetation species are recorded along transects. A Height versus Diameter matrix is used to record all woody plants and tree ferns over 2m in height within the three 10 x 10 m plots situated along the transect. A basal sweep is done in the middle of each 10 x 10 m plot. Basal Area Factor 1m squared is used with the number of Acacia species recorded, as well as whether the tree is alive or dead. Seedling plots (1mx1m) are located in the middle of each of the three 10mx10m plots and all living plant species which are less than 5 m in height with their bases rooted within the 1 x 1 m plots are recorded by height increments in the table. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Victorian Tall Eucalypt Forest Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/victorian-tall-eucalypt-forest