public read uid=hoffmann,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org read cn=submitters,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all Professor Ary Hoffmann The University of Melbourne Plot Leader

Bio21 Institute, Departments of Zoology and Genetics The University of Melbourne Melbourne Victoria 3010

03 8344 2282 ary@unimelb.edu.au 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 Vegetation structure Plant species composition Plant species abundance Individual plants LTERN Monitoring Themes 0602 ANZSRC-FOR Earth Science > Biosphere > Vegetation GCMD CC-BY-4_0 Special conditions None. No special attribution required. Citation details as displayed in the LTERN Data Portal 2012 2013 Species Acetosella vulgaris Species Aciphylla glacialis Species Acrothamnus montanus Species Agropyron velutinum Species Agrostis venusta Species Ajuga australis Species Argyrotegium fordianum Species Argyrotegium mackayi Species Arthropodium milleflorum Species Asperula gunnii Species Asterolasia trymalioides Species Australopyrum velutinum Species Brachyscome decipiens Species Carex breviculmis Species Carex rara Species Celmisia costiniana Species Celmisia pugioniformis Species Colobanthus affinis Species Cotula alpina Species Craspedia coolaminica Species Craspedia jamesii Species Craspedia lamicola Species Deyeuxia monticola Species Deyeuxia species Species Erigeron bellidioides Species Erigeron nitidus Species Geranium antrorsum Species Grevillea australis Species Hovea montana Species Hypochaeris radicata Species Leptorhynchos squamatus Species Leucopogon hookeri Species Luzula alpina Species Luzula modesta Species Melicytus dentatus Species Microseris lanceolata Species Olearia brevipedunculata Species Olearia phlogopappa Species Oreomyrrhis argentea Species Oreomyrrhis eriopoda Species Pimelea alpina Species Pimelea axiflora Species Plantago euryphylla Species Poa costiniana Species Poa fawcettiae Species Poa hiemata Species Poa species Species Podolepis robusta Species Poranthera microphylla Species Pultenaea tenella Species Ranunculus eichlerianus Species Ranunculus victoriensis Species Rytidosperma nudiflorum Species Rytidosperma penicillatum Species Scleranthus biflorus Species Senecio pinnatifolius Species Trachymene humilis Species Trisetum spicatum Species Viola betonicifolia Species Xerochrysum subundulatum South-east Highlands, Australia 147.263077 147.287443 -36.88496 -36.909953 1403149765536

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. Following the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) protocol (Molau and Mølgaard 1996; Jarrad et al. 2009; Wahren et al. 2013), four open-heathland ATEX field sites, two burnt and two unburnt, were established in the Rocky Knobs area (36.90ºS, 147.27ºE) on the Bogong High Plains in 2003. The burnt and unburnt sites were ca. 1.7 km apart while within burn-type, each of the sites were separated by approximately 0.5 km. At each of the two unburnt sites, 26 x 1 m2 plots are located along permanently marked transects. Transects are 10 m apart, 50 m long, and are marked with sturdy, red gum end-pegs. At each unburnt site, 13 of the plots are covered by a hexagonal open-topped chamber (OTC; base diameter 168 cm, top diameter 110 cm) and the remaining, control plots are uncovered. At each of the two burnt sites there are 14 x 1m2 plots, seven of which are covered by an OTC, and seven of which are uncovered, controls.

Red gum end-pegs

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.

Alpine environments globally are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, particularly warming. To examine the effects of climate change on alpine ecosystems, a climate change experiment was established on the Bogong High Plains in 2003. The experiment aims to assess the likely response of vegetation and invertebrates to temperature increases attained via a passive warming experiment. The basic experimental unit is a 1m2 plot, and the passive warming is achieved by perspex, open-top chambers. These chambers change the microclimate of the plots during the growing season – raising the ambient temperature by about 1-1.5°C and reducing soil moisture by 5-10%. Responses in the growth and phenology of individual species and life forms, and changes to community composition and diversity are monitored according to internationally agreed-to protocols. Data collected from the plots can then be used to generate predictions, which can be across elevation (and thus temperature) gradients, and assess above ground effects on carbon storage. Vegetation Growth measurements By using the relative rate of growth, the effect of initial size on measurements is removed. At the beginning of each growing season plants are selected randomly for monitoring at every sub-plot within all ATEX plots. The first measurements are taken as soon as the snow melts and sites can be accessed in October or November, the second measurements is taken mid-season in January, and the final measurements is taken in March, the end of the active growing season. For the graminoids and C. pugioniformis, leaves are gathered and the longest live leaf is measured to the nearest 0.25cm for three random individuals of each species per plot. For the forbs, two random leaves on three random individuals of each species per plot are measured for length (from base to tip, excluding petiole) and width (at the widest point) to the nearest 1mm. Older leaves at the base of the rosette are avoided, as they have already grown to their full length. For the shrubs, the lengths of three random new shoots are monitored on three random individuals of each species per plot. The ITEX protocol recommends a variety of vegetative measurements (Molau and Mølgaard 1996), from which a subset of measurements are selected that are appropriate for the species in this study. Further details are in Jarrad et al. (2009). Plant species composition Every second year vegetation is sampled by point quadrats using a 4 mm diameter steel pin, inserted vertically at 10 cm intervals within a grid of 100 points defined by a 1 m2 point-frame. At each point the top, intermediate and bottom species; canopy height; and condition of ground surface (bare soil, attached live or dead vegetation, loose litter) are recorded. 1403149765536 Principal Investigator Since 2012 this project has been part of the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN). This work was supported by the Australian Government’s Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Network (www.tern.org.au) – an Australian research infrastructure facility established under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and Education Infrastructure Fund–Super Science Initiative through the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. vatx_height_ground_cover_p232t522.csv vatx_height_ground_cover_p232t522.csv 1 0 \r\n column , ecogrid://knb/ltern2.227.1 uid=hoffmann,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org read cn=allusers,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org read cn=submitters,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all pqdate Date of observation YYYY-MM-DD sitename Point quadrat site Character utm_n Northing (WGS84 Zone 55S) meter whole utm_e Easting (WGS84 Zone 55S) meter whole pqplot Point quadrat point Character row Point quadrat row Character column Point quadrat column Character pqtop Height of tallest plant at point meter whole pqbottom Height of shortest plant at point meter whole pqcovertype Type of ground cover at point Character vatx_phenology_p232t493.csv vatx_phenology_p232t493.csv 1 0 \r\n column , ecogrid://knb/ltern2.228.1 cn=allusers,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org read cn=submitters,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all phendate Date of observation YYYY-MM-DD sitename Site name Character sitecode Site code Character utm_n Northing (WGS84 Zone 55S) meter whole utm_e Easting (WGS84 Zone 55S) meter whole altitude Altitude (ASL) meter whole species Species name Character phentrait Phenology traits Character individual At each site for each date – generally 20 individuals were samples – this is the count. number natural vatx_plot_details_p232t520.csv vatx_plot_details_p232t520.csv 1 0 \r\n column , ecogrid://knb/ltern2.229.1 cn=allusers,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org read cn=submitters,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all pqdate Date of observation YYYY-MM-DD sitename Site name Character utm_n Northing (WGS84 Zone 55S) meter whole utm_e Easting (WGS84 Zone 55S) meter whole pqplot Point quadrat point Character pqtreatment Point quadrat treatment Character pqhta Tallest plant at corner "A" of quadrant millimeter whole pqhtb Tallest plant at corner "B" of quadrant millimeter whole pqhtc Tallest plant at corner "C" of quadrant millimeter whole pqhtd Tallest plant at corner "D" of quadrant millimeter whole longitude_gda94 Longitude (GDA94) degree real latitude_gda94 Latitude (GDA94) degree real vatx_point_quadrat_vegetation_data_p232t494.csv vatx_point_quadrat_vegetation_data_p232t494.csv 1 0 \r\n column , ecogrid://knb/ltern2.230.1 cn=allusers,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org read cn=submitters,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all pqdate Date of observation YYYY-MM-DD sitename Site name Character utm_n Northing (WGS84 Zone 55S) meter whole utm_e Easting (WGS84 Zone 55S) meter whole pqplot Point quadrat point Character row Point quadrat row Character column Point quadrat column Character species Species recorded Character pqstatus Plant status (alive or dead) Character pqhittype Order of plant Character vatx_phenology_p232t493_taxonomic_coverage.csv vatx_phenology_p232t493_taxonomic_coverage.csv 643 1 #x0A column , ecogrid://knb/ltern2.232.1 cn=allusers,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org read cn=submitters,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all species Species observed Character Frequency Frequency of species observed Character 25 http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/victorian-alpine