The project is focused on the topic, 'enhanced heat tolerance of virus-infected aphids lead to niche expansion and reduced interspecific competition. The two aphid species studied are <i>Rhopalosiphum padi</i> and <i>Rhopalosiphum maidis</i>. The project had some of the following objectives: [1] Spatial distribution of two aphid species on the host plants [2] Upper thermal limits of two aphid species. [3] Effects of the viral infection on the host plant thermal profile. [4] Levels of expression of heat shock protein genes of virus-free and viruliferous aphids. [5] Locomotor capacity of aphids, effects of viruses on the locomotor capacity. [6] Effects of viral infection, temperature, and competition on the lifespan and fecundity of <i>R. padi</i> [7] Effects of viral infection, temperature, and competition on the lifespan and fecundity of <i>R. maidis</i> [8] Temperature of acrylic tubes used on aphid experiments. [9] Thermal lethal dose 50 of virus-free and viruliferous aphids [10] Thermal preference of virus-free and viruliferous aphids. This information can be very useful for ecologist working on insect population dynamics as well as physiologist and eco-physiologists doing meta-analyses of expression of heat shock protein genes induced by symbionts.

The data set contains information on air temperature and relative humidity at heights 1m and 3m from three sensors at each height and a global solar radiation at 3m, mean wind speed and gust speed at 3m measured from the Bowen ratio energy balance Flux tower site, Great Western Woodlands Site.

Data on weather conditions at the Great Western Woodlands site collected between 2012 - 2016. Data includes half-hourly records of radiation and net radiation at 3 m (2012) and 36 m (2013 - 2016), mean wind speed and wind direction at 3 m (2012) and 36 m (2013 - 2016), air temperature and relative humidity at 3 m (2012) and 36 m (2013 - 2016), atmospheric pressure at 3 m (2012) and 36 m (2013 - 2016), ground heat flux at -8cm, and rainfall at 0.5m

Data on weather conditions at the Robson Creek Rainforest site collected between 2010 - 2014. Weather station data includes daily records of air temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, relative humidity and rainfall.

Data on weather conditions at the Daintree Rainforest, Cow Bay site collected between 2008 - 2014. Weather station data includes daily records of air temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, relative humidity and rainfall.

Data on weather conditions at the Warra Tall Eucalypt site collected between 2004 - 2012. Data includes daily maximum and minimum temperatures, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall and humidity.

Data on weather conditions at the Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation site collected between 2006 - 2014. Weather station data includes daily records of air temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, relative humidity and rainfall.

Schools Weather and Air Quality (SWAQ) is a citizen science project funded by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science as part of its Inspiring Australia - Citizen Engagement Program. SWAQ is equipping public schools across Sydney with research-grade meteorology and air quality sensors, enabling students to collect and analyse research quality data through curriculum-aligned classroom activities. The network includes twelve automatic weather stations and seven automatic air quality stations, stretched from -33.5995° to -34.0421° latitude and from 150.6913° to 151.2708° longitude. The average spacing is 10.2 km and the average installation height is 2.5 m above ground level. Optimum site allocation was determined by undertaking a multi-criteria weighted overlay analysis to ensure data representativeness and quality. Six meteorological parameters (dry-bulb temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, rain, wind speed, and wind direction) and six air pollutants (SO2, NO2, CO, O3, PM2.5, and PM10) are recorded. Observations and metadata are available from September 2019 for WXT536 + AQT420 stations and from October 2019 for WXT536 stations (refer to Table 1 of the Dataset Guide), thus encompassing the Black Summer bushfire and the COVID-19 lockdown period. Data routinely undergo quality control, quality assurance and publication.

The Australian cosmic-ray soil moisture monitoring network was first established in 2010 to provide Australian and global researchers with spatially distributed intermediate scale soil moisture observations. A cosmic-ray sensor (CRS) provides continuous estimates of soil moisture over an area of approximately 30 hectares by measuring naturally generated fast neutrons (energy 10–1000 eV) that are produced by cosmic rays passing through the Earth’s atmosphere. The neutron intensity above the land surface is inversely correlated with soil moisture as it responds to the hydrogen contained in the soil and to a lesser degree to plant and soil carbon compounds. The cosmic-ray technique is also passive, non-contact, and is largely insensitive to bulk density, surface roughness, the physical state of water, and soil texture. The scale of CRS measurements fills the void between point scale sensor measurements and large scale satellite observations. The depth of measurements varies with the moisture content of the soil but is typically between 10-30 cm. The depth of observations is reported as ‘effective depth’. <br> The CosmOz network is expanding as new sensors are added over time. The initial network was funded by CSIRO Land and Water but more recently TERN has funded work to maintain the network add new sensors and deliver data more efficiently. The standard CRS installation includes; a cosmic-ray neutron tube, a rain gauge (2m high), temperature and humidity sensors, and an atmospheric pressure sensor. Measures of all parameters are reported at an hourly interval. Each CRS requires an in-field calibration across the footprint of measurements to convert neutron counts to soil moisture content. The calibration includes collection of soil samples for bulk density, lattice water content and soil organic carbon.<br> The Australia CosmOz network consists of <a href="https://cosmoz.csiro.au/sites">19 stations</a>. The extent of the network and available data can be seen at the CosmOz network web page: <a href="https://cosmoz.csiro.au/">https://cosmoz.csiro.au</a>. The data is also accessible from the <a href="https://landscapes-cosmoz-api.tern.org.au/rest/doc">TERN Cosmoz REST API</a>.<br> The calibration and correction procedures used by the network are described by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/2013WR015138">Hawdon et al. 2014 </a>.

<p>The dataset comprises well-designed survey data from the first fuel load survey across 192 transects within the 48 AusPlots Forests, 1-ha monitoring plots across Australia. Data includes: [1] Site identifiers (ID and Site Name) and site- or transect- specific notes from the fuel survey campaign; [2] Transect survey dates; [3] Transect photograph numbers and attributes (Bearing, Slope and Aspect); [4] Fuel measurements (Grass and Litter height; Duff depth; Fine Woody fuel counts and Coarse Woody fuel counts and diameter; Projective cover for biomass components (Grass, Litter, Herbs, Vines and Shrubs), and Mass of biomass components (Grass, Litter, Herbs and Vines)); [5] Moisture content for biomass components (Grass, Litter, Herbs and Vines).</p> Descriptions of the data and coding protocols used in the database are explained in (a) the database itself; (b) the explanatory file attached to this dataset and (c) the Ausplots Forest Monitoring Network Manual. The protocols and coding used in this module are drawn directly from international forest fuel survey protocols and are consistent with other Australian forest fuel inventory methodologies.