Reciprocal Transplant Experiment Reveals Insights into C Sequestration in Mountain Peatlands with Contrasting Climate Conditions

This study involves the reciprocal transplantation of peat between high and low elevation fens in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, followed by a one-year incubation period at the new location. The study sites include Helen fen/High site, (2365 m, 1.2 ha, 51°40’59.98”N, 116°24’32.9”W), situated above tree line, and Sibbald fen/Low site (1480 m, 130 ha, 51°03’29.38” N, 114°52’11.66” W), located in the montane zone. Environmental data for these sites is provided. Methane and carbon dioxide flux data, along with iron and sulfur supply rates, are presented for transplanted mesocosms both between and within the sites. Treatment types are denoted by two letters, with the first indicating the origin site and the second indicating the incubation site (e.g., “SH” indicates mesocosms that originated from Sibbald and were transplanted to Helen) Datasets: CH4_Sibbald_Helen: Includes CH4 flux data for four collection dates during August and September 2020 for transplanted mesocosms at both sites. CO2_Sibbald_Helen: Contains CO2 flux data (Net ecosystem exchange, ecosystem respiration, and gross primary production) for four collection dates during August and September 2020 for transplanted mesocosms at both sites. Fe_S_Sibbald_Helen: Contains iron and sulfur supply rates measured by the plant root simulator (PRS) probes (Western Ag Innovations, Saskatoon, SK) during August and September 2020 for transplanted mesocosms at both sites. Sibbald_Environmental_Data and Helen_Environmental_Data: Includes mean daily air and soil temperature at 5cm of depth, snow detph, and water table data for both sites during the mesocosm incubation period (September 2019-September 2020). Total daily precipitation is also provided for the same period.