Victorian Alpine Plot Network (ATEX): Plot Microclimate Data, Bogong High Plains, Victoria, Australia, 2014–2015

The objective of the Australian Tundra Experiment(ATEX) is to assess the likely response of vegetation and invertebrates to temperature increases attained through passive warming. The Australian Tundra Experiment (ATEX) follows the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) protocol (Molau & Mølgaard 1996, Jarrad et al. 2009) which focuses on the growth and phenological responses of cold adapted vascular plant species to environmental change, specifically, to an increase in summer (growing season) temperatures. In addition to monitoring vegetation responses, the experimental warming chambers were used to monitor the response of invertebrates to warming. Warming is achieved using hexagonal fibreglass open-top warming chambers (OTCs). The OTCs were set up in December 2003 at 4 sites within a 2 × 4.5 km area of the Bogong High Plains, Victoria, Australia, known as Rocky Knobs (36.90ºS, 147.27ºE). Two of the sites were established on vegetation that had been recently burnt by the 2003 bushfires. The sites are at approximately 1700 m above sea level and generally have snow cover of variable depth for 3 to 4 months each year (June-July to September-October). At each site, permanent plots of 1m2 were selected to include as many of the common vascular grassland species as possible. Treatments were then allocated at random for a total of 40 control and 40 warmed plots. This dataset contains microclimate data for a subset of plots from 6-06-2004 to 18-04-2013.澳大利亚冻原实验（Australian Tundra Experiment, ATEX）旨在评估植被与无脊椎动物对被动增温导致的温度升高的潜在响应。该实验遵循国际冻原实验（International Tundra Experiment, ITEX）的规程（Molau与Mølgaard, 1996；Jarrad等, 2009），聚焦于冷适应维管植物物种对环境变化，尤其是夏季（生长季）升温的生长与物候响应。除监测植被响应外，实验所用的增温箱还被用于监测无脊椎动物对增温的响应。本次实验采用六边形玻璃纤维开放式顶部增温箱（open-top warming chambers, OTCs）实现增温。该增温箱于2003年12月在澳大利亚维多利亚州博贡高平原的洛基诺布斯区域（坐标36.90°S, 147.27°E）内搭建完成，该区域面积为2×4.5 km，共设置4个样地。其中2个样地设立于2003年丛林大火过后不久的火烧迹地植被上。样地海拔约为1700米，每年通常有3至4个月（6月-7月至9月-10月）被深浅不一的积雪覆盖。在每个样地内，均选取面积为1平方米的永久样方，尽可能纳入当地常见的维管草原物种。随后随机分配处理组，最终共设置40个对照样方与40个增温样方。本数据集包含2004年6月6日至2013年4月18日期间部分样方的微气候数据。