Thermal decoupling and heat resistance of alpine plants from Nevados de Chillán volcanic-complex, Chile.

We investigated plant thermal decoupling from environmental temperature using microclimatic and plant trait data combined with infrared thermal imaging. This dataset comprises four sheets: (1) Environmental data during plant temperature measurements, including air and soil temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and photosynthetically active radiation. (2) Thermal decoupling data from infrared thermography measurements. (3) Architectonic traits associated with thermal decoupling, such as plant height, porosity, and circularity index, derived from field sampling and image analysis. (4) Heat resistance measurements based on changes in FV/FM. (5) A glossary of abbreviations and units used. All the measurements were made in 6 individuals per species, including 3 rosette and 3 shrubs alpine species. This study provides critical insights into plant thermal behavior and heat resistance, enhancing our understanding of the influence of environmental factors and traits on plant temperature—key to predicting plant responses to climate change.