Accumulation of sodium and manganese during litter decomposition of Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia) forest in China

Litter decomposition is a key ecological process as a control of nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. Forest litter is an important carrier of element cycles in forest ecosystems. The biogeochemical cycle of elements is of great significance to plant communities and ecosystem functions. At present, most of the studies on the litter's major elements only focus on C, N, and P, but there are few studies on the biogeochemical cycle of sodium (Na) and manganese (Mn) of forest litter. In this study, we investigated the concentrations and fluxes of Na and Mn in needle litter of Qinghai spruce over a 12–month period. Meanwhile, we measured the release and accumulation dynamics of litter Na and Mn during litter decomposition at different canopy coverage and elevations over 3.9 years. The results showed that the annual Na and Mn concentrations were 312.34 and 621.19 mg kg-1, and the annual fluxes of Na and Mn were 236.67 and 343.16 g ha-1 in needle litter, respectively. After 3.9 years of litte..., , , # Accumulation of sodium and manganese during litter decomposition of Qinghai spruce (*Picea crassifolia*) forest in China

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j9kd51cnk](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j9kd51cnk)

## Description of the data and file structure

The dataset mainly consists of the original mapping data of the six figures in the manuscript, which have been organized in an Excel file according to the serial numbers of the figures, mainly including Fig. 1 Variation of Na and Mn concentrations in needle litter at different elevations; Fig. 2 Variation of Na and Mn fluxes in needle litter at various elevations; Fig. 3 Variations of Na and Mn concentrations among different canopy coverage during litter decomposition; Fig. 4 Variations of Na and Mn concentrations among different elevations during litter decomposition; Fig. 5 Release rates of Na and Mn in decomposing litter; Fig. 6 The correlation between litter mass loss and element release rate during litter decomposition.

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