The Victorian Alpine Plot Network vegetation data package contains vegetation data collected at a sub-set of the 481 long term monitoring plots which have been established in Australian Alps and in Tasmania. The sampling regime within the Victorian Network generally consists of multiple randomly positioned transects within sites, (rather than ‘plots’ sensu stricto), with each site, and/or transect geo-located. Point quadrats are taken at fixed intervals along each transect. The number of transects within sites, and sampling frequency varies from annual to decadal, depending on site and purpose. This general array of sampling transects, point quadrats along transects and floristic quadrats is consistent between grassland and snowpatch monitoring sites, although the number of transects and floristic quadrats needed to detect change in key variables (vegetation cover, bare ground, etc) at each site varies over time. There are also long-term monitoring sites in wetlands. This is part of a much larger dataset that spans from 1944, when plot were set up to document long-term changes in ecosystem composition and structure in relation to disturbance (see methods for more information). The Victorian Alpine Plot Network research plots are revisited on a 2-10 years basis. 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 Woodland Restoration Plot Network Vegetation Structure and Composition Data Package contains vegetation floristics and structure survey data for thirty-six 0.1 hectare sites which were established on retired farmland that includes a mosaic of restored vegetation (native plantings) of varying ages juxtaposed with patches of remnant vegetation and untreated, abandoned pasture. All sites were originally woodland prior to agricultural development about 200 years ago. The Woodland Restoration Plot Network research plots commenced in 1992 and have been revisited every 3-4 years since 2001. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Woodland Restoration Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/woodland-restoration

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

This package represents all data from surveys of vegetation within the Alpine Long Term Monitoring — Community Changes project. The surveys began in 1947, and the most recent is from 2013. As further surveys are conducted the new data will be added to this package. The Victorian Alpine Plot Network vegetation data package contains vegetation data collected at a sub-set of the 481 long term monitoring plots which have been established in Australian Alps and in Tasmania. The sampling regime within the Victorian Network generally consists of multiple randomly positioned transects within sites, (rather than ‘plots’ sensu stricto), with each site, and/or transect geo-located. Point quadrats are taken at fixed intervals along each transect. The number of transects within sites, and sampling frequency varies from annual to decadal, depending on site and purpose. This general array of sampling transects, point quadrats along transects and floristic quadrats is consistent between grassland and snowpatch monitoring sites, although the number of transects and floristic quadrats needed to detect change in key variables (vegetation cover, bare ground, etc) at each site varies over time. There are also long-term monitoring sites in wetlands. The Victorian Alpine Plot Network research plots are revisited on a 2–10 years basis. 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

This vegetation data package comprises structure and floristic data for selected points across grids described in related data packages. Vegetation attributes were recorded in an area occupying 2.5 m radius around six traps on each trapping grid and have been aggregated to grid level data. Percentage cover of all plant species, flowering index and seeding index (from 0-5, where 0 is no flowering or seeding and 5 is maximal flowering/seeding) were recorded and are presented here as plot averages which represent the mean amount of flowering or seeding per species. The network program uses a core of 12 sites. The trapping survey aims to quantitatively track long-term shifts in biodiversity and ecological processes in relation to key drivers, including unpredictable rainfall and droughts, fire, feral predators and grazing. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Desert Ecology's full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/desert-ecology.

The Upland Heath Swamps Plot Network Vegetation Floristics data package for Royal National Park contains information on the herbaceous species present in permanent plots arranged in eight 30 metre transects. These sites were originally established in 1990, and then sampled annually until 1994, and subsequently in 1999, 2001, 2007, 2011 and 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-health-swamps. **Note: this data package is associated with the following publications: [1] Letten, A.D., Keith, D.A. & Tozer, M.G. (2014) Phylogenetic and functional dissimilarity does not increase during temporal heathland succession. Proc. Roy. Soc. B., 281, 20142102–. [2] Letten, A. D., Keith, D. A., Tozer, M. G., Hui, F. K.C. (2015) Fine-scale hydrological niche differentiation through the lens of multi-species co-occurrence models. Journal of Ecology. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12428 [3] Keith, D. A. and Bradstock, R. A. (1994). Fire and competition in Australian heath: a conceptual model and field investigations. Journal of Vegetation Science 5, 347-354. [4] Keith, D. A. (1995a). Mosaics in Sydney heathland vegetation: the roles of fire, competition and soils. CALMScience Supplement 4, 199-206. [5] Keith, D. A., Lindenmayer, D. B., Lowe, A.,Russell-Smith, J.,Barrett, S.,Enright N. J., Fox, B. J.,Guerin, G.,Paton, D. C., Tozer, M. G. and Yates, C. J. (2014). Heathlands. In: Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring, Challenges and Direction. Lindenmayer, D., Burns, E., Thurgate, N., and Lowe, A. Editors, pp215-285. CSIRO, Melbourne.

This vegetation data package comprises structure and floristic data for selected points across grids described in related data packages. Vegetation attributes were recorded in an area occupying 2.5 m radius around six traps on each trapping grid and have been aggregated to grid level data. Percentage cover of all plant species, flowering index and seeding index (from 0-5, where 0 is no flowering or seeding and 5 is maximal flowering/seeding) were recorded and are presented here as plot averages which represent the mean amount of flowering or seeding per species. The network program uses a core of 12 sites which are sampled every April-May. The trapping survey aims to quantitatively track long-term shifts in biodiversity and ecological processes in relation to key drivers, including unpredictable rainfall and droughts, fire, feral predators and grazing. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Desert Ecology's full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/desert-ecology.

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 vegetation data package comprises structure and floristic data for selected points across grids described in related data packages. Vegetation attributes were recorded in an area occupying 2.5 m radius around six traps on each trapping grid and have been aggregated to grid level data. Percentage cover of all plant species, flowering index and seeding index (from 0-5, where 0 is no flowering or seeding and 5 is maximal flowering/seeding) were recorded and are presented here as plot averages which represent the mean amount of flowering or seeding per species. The network program uses a core of 12 sites which are sampled every April-May. The trapping survey aims to quantitatively track long-term shifts in biodiversity and ecological processes in relation to key drivers, including unpredictable rainfall and droughts, fire, feral predators and grazing. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Desert Ecology's full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/desert-ecology.

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