SPRUCE S1 Bog and Bog Lake Fen Moss Decomposition and Litter Chemistry Data, 2014-2019

This data set includes measurements of mass loss, decay rate, and litter chemistry of mosses decomposing in the S1 Bog and Bog Lake Fen located in the USDA Forest Service Marcell Experimental Forest (MEF) in northern Minnesota, 40 km north of Grand Rapids. A litterbag experiment was used to estimate decay rates of 3 different moss types (Sphagnum magellanicum, Sphagnum angustifolium/fallax, and Polytrichum sp.) from mass loss measurements after one and five years in hummock and hollow microtopographies in the bog and lawn microtopography in the poor fen. C, N, and P contents of the mosses were measured initially, after 1 year, and after 5 years of decay. Sample collection and analyses started in 2014 and was completed in 2019. These data are from outside the SPRUCE experimental plots.