Tropical Montane Cloud Forest carbon budget data from the Wayqecha throughfall exclusion and fog reduction experiments

This dataset contains carbon flux measurements collected over a 62-month period (November 2017 – December 2022) from two long-term climate manipulation experiments in a tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF) in the Kosñipata catchment, Peruvian Andes (~3,000 m a.s.l.). The experiments include (1) a throughfall exclusion (TFE) plot that simulates soil drought by diverting rainfall and (2) a fog reduction (FE) plot that intercepts airborne moisture to reduce leaf wetness and humidity. Each experiment was paired with an adjacent, unmanipulated control plot.
All key components of ecosystem carbon cycling were measured in both experiments following the Global Ecosystem Monitoring (GEM) protocol (Malhi et al., 2021), widely used in tropical forests.
Measured NPP components include:
Aboveground coarse wood production (NPPACW)Branch turnover (NPPbranch)Litterfall (NPPlitterfall)Fine root production (NPPfine roots)Respiration components include:
Leaf respiration (Rleaves)Stem respiration (Rstems)Coarse root respiration (Rcoarse roots)Soil respiration (Rsoil)Experimental Design and Site ContextThroughfall Exclusion (TFE):
Located ~1 km from the Wayqecha Biological Station, the TFE experiment consists of a 0.09 ha plot covered with clear plastic panels installed ~2 m above ground, diverting 98% of rainfall. Soil moisture was reduced by an average of 69.1% relative to a nearby 0.09 ha control plot. Both plots were undisturbed and matched for species composition and biomass.
Fog Reduction (FE):
The fog exclusion experiment (~1 km from Wayqecha at -13.1932°, -71.5883°) used a system of mesh curtains suspended between two 30 m towers to block fog moving upslope. The setup reduced leaf wetness, air humidity, and increased vapor pressure deficit and solar radiation. The 420 m² fog exclusion plot and a nearby control plot (~50 m upslope) were selected to minimise pre-treatment differences and ensure structural and compositional similarity.

All data collection was carried out with permission from the Amazon Conservation Association (ACCA) and in accordance with local legal and ethical requirements. This dataset enables researchers to investigate how different hydrological stressors influence carbon dynamics in high-elevation tropical forests.
For full methodological details, refer to the associated publication and Supplementary Information.