Victorian Alpine Plot Network (Alpine Summit Plots): Vegetation Composition Data, South-East Highlands, Australia, 2012-2013

• Other Authors: Dr John Morgan (hasAssociationWith), Ary Hoffmann (hasAssociationWith), Dr Carl-Henrik A Wahren (hasAssociationWith)
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: The Australian National University
• Subjects: ECOLOGY; BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; PLANTS; EARTH SCIENCE; BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION; ALPINE/TUNDRA; BIOSPHERE; TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Vegetation structure; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Plant species composition; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Plant species abundance; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Individual plants; keyword:Alpine National Park; keyword:Species richness; keyword:Alpine summits; keyword:Dominant classes; keyword:Compositional changes; Victorian Alpine; Summit Plots; Vegetation – Composition; Tundra
• Online Access: https://researchdata.edu.au/victorian-alpine-plot-2012-2013/1360531; https://datacommons.anu.edu.au/DataCommons/item/anudc:5872; https://doi.org/10.25911/5c340e1244ce9

Abstract: This Victorian Alpine Plot Network Vegetation Composition Data Package comprises plot-based vegetation data for alpine mountain summits in the Australian Alps. Twenty 1 metre squared quadrats are situated along each of four varying length permanent transects established on mountain summits. In each quadrat, plant species are assigned percentage cover abundance and species per metre squared are recorded. The Alpine Summit plots study, which commenced in 2001, forms part of the collection of data packages by the Victorian Alpine Plot Network. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Victorian Alpine Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c11c3d283b0e. Sampling method: A global climate change and mountain environments monitoring network - The Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA; http://www.gloria.ac.at) - was established in 2001 to detect long-term vegetation change on alpine mountain summits. Observations focus on changes in species richness with respect to local temperatures and altitude. Five mountain summit survey sites were established in the Kosciuszko National Park in 2004 and several in the Victorian Alpine National Park in 2006. There are currently 14 such summits, encompassing the geographic distribution of high alpine summits in the Australian Alps, with each to be surveyed at 5-year intervals. Study extent: No limitations or missing units are in coverage outlined in Conceptual Design. The temporal range of the dataset is predominantly 2012 but the sampling period extends into the first 10 days of January 2013. Project funding: Between 2012 and 2018 this project has been part of the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN). LTERN is a Facility within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). TERN is supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.