Data and R Code Supporting a Study of Microbial Carbon Allocation across Elevation and Soil Depth in a Cold-Temperate Forest

This dataset supports a study on microbial carbon allocation along an elevational gradient in a cold-temperate forest in the Greater Khingan Mountains, northeastern China. Soil samples were collected from topsoil (0–20 cm) and subsoil (20–40 cm) across 11 sites spanning an elevation range of 331–1261 m. The dataset includes microbial growth rate and respiration rate, extracellular enzyme activities related to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus acquisition, microbial community composition based on sequencing, and basic soil physicochemical properties, including total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved nitrogen (DN), available phosphorus (AP), and other soil variables. Sampling metadata, including elevation, soil depth, geographic coordinates, and site descriptions, are also provided. At each site and soil depth, soil samples were collected from three replicate plots, with five soil cores composited within each plot. Samples were passed through a 2 mm sieve and used for physicochemical analyses, microbial sequencing, and measurements of microbial activity and biomass. This dataset provides evidence for changes in microbial carbon allocation with elevation and reveals differences between topsoil and subsoil. These patterns are mainly associated with nutrient availability and stoichiometric imbalance. The dataset is currently under embargo and will be made publicly available after publication of the associated manuscript.