DOI: 10.5061/dryad.h70rxwdqs
title: Data from: Microbial carbon use efficiency and soil organic carbon stocks across an elevational gradient in the Peruvian Andes

description: Soils of mountain ecosystems are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to
 climate change, while the ecosystem services they produce are significant
 and currently at risk. High altitude soils contain high C stocks, but due
 to difficult access to sites these areas are understudied. Moreover, how
 the C and N cycling is changing in response to climate change in these
 ecosystems, is still unclear. Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) and
 its dependency on the environmental constraints along the altitudinal
 gradients is one important unknown factor. Here we present results from an
 altitudinal gradient study (3500 to 4500 m a.s.l.) from a Polylepis forest
 in the Peruvian Andes. We measured the soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks
 and microbial metabolic CUE by 13C glucose tracing and microbial
 resource use efficiency (CUEC:N) based on enzyme activity measurements. We
 expected to find an increase in SOC stock, microbial nutrient limitations,
 and lower CUE with elevation. SOC stocks depended on soil development and
 followed a unimodal curve that peaks at 4000 m in two of the three studied
 valleys. Neither 13CUE nor CUEC:N changed significantly with altitude.
 Soil C:N ratio, β-glucosidase, chitinase, and phosphatase enzyme
 activities increased with elevation, but peroxidase activity decreased
 with elevation. We suggest that more labile organic matter left at high
 elevation could compensate for the increasing nutrient limitation at high
 elevation, resulting in no noticeable change in CUE with elevation.
description: # Microbial carbon use efficiency and soil organic carbon stocks across an
 elevational gradient in the Peruvian Andes
   **General information:**
 Data are related to the manuscript “Microbial carbon use efficiency and
 soil organic carbon stocks across an elevational gradient in the Peruvian
 Andes” By Angela Martin Vivanco, Outi-Maaria Sietiö, Nele Meyer, Kevin
 Zowe Mganga, Subin Kalu, Sylwia Adamczyk, Susan Celis Huayllasco, Julio
 Alegre Orihuela and Kristiina Karhu. Corresponding authors: Angela Martin
 Vivanco () Kristiina Karhu
 () The methods are described in detail
 in the paper. The dataset contains 1 Excel file with the data of the
 following soil parameters (concentrations of different elements, enzyme
 activities, and respiration are given per g of dry soil): ID: ID Code of
 each point. This indicates the Valley Name (e.g. U: Ulta, P: Paron, L:
 llanganuco ); the elevation (#1 is 4500 and #5 is 3500 m); plot number (R:
 1,2,3). e.g: U1R1 = Ulta valley at 4500 m 1st plot ELEVATION: meters above
 sea level (m a.s.l.) UTM_EAST: UTM easting coordinate UTM_NORTH: UTM
 northing coordinate Valley: Valley name Depth: Soil organic layer depth in
 centimeters (cm) TC: Total carbon content (%) TN: Total nitrogen content
 (%) TP: Total phosphorus content (%) pH: pH (1v:5v) soil volume: water
 volume Bulk.density: Bulk density (Mg m<sup>-3</sup>)
 Water.content: Water content (g H<sub>2</sub>O g<sup>-1
 </sup>soil) Aluminium: Total content of aluminium (mg g<sup>-1
 </sup>soil) Calcium: Total content of calcium (mg g<sup>-1
 </sup>soil) soil_Temp: Soil temperature (°C) chitinase: Chitinase (n
 mol enzyme activity g<sup>-1 </sup>soil
 h<sup>-1</sup>) beta.glucosidase: Beta-glucosidase (n mol
 enzyme activity g<sup>-1 </sup>soil
 h<sup>-1</sup>) cellobiosidase: Cellobiosidase (n mol enzyme
 activity g<sup>-1 </sup>soil h<sup>-1</sup>)
 beta.xylosidase: Beta-xylosidase (n mol enzyme activity g<sup>-1
 </sup>soil h<sup>-1</sup>) phosphatase: Phosphatase (n
 mol enzyme activity g<sup>-1 </sup>soil
 h<sup>-1</sup>) peroxidase: Peroxidase activity (n mol DOPA
 g<sup>-1 </sup>soil h<sup>-1</sup>) phenoloxidase:
 Phenoloxidase activity (n mol DOPA g<sup>-1 </sup>soil
 h<sup>-1</sup>) DOC: Dissolved organic C (mg C g<sup>-1
 </sup>soil) DTN: Dissolved Total N (mg N g<sup>-1
 </sup>soil) Cmic: Microbial biomass carbon content (mg C
 g<sup>-1 </sup>soil) Nmic: Microbial biomass nitrogen content
 (mg N g<sup>-1 </sup>soil) SOMresp: Respiration from soil
 organic matter (µg C g<sup>-1 </sup>soil) Nmin: mineral
 nitrogen, i.e. sum of NO<sub>3</sub>-N and
 NH<sub>4</sub>-N (mg N g<sup>-1 </sup>soil)
 GROW.13.CUE: C allocated for growth (µg C g<sup>-1 </sup>soil)
 RESP.13.CUE: C used for respiration (µg C g<sup>-1 </sup>soil)
 <sup>13</sup>CUE: microbial <sup>13</sup>C glucose
 carbon use efficiency TER<sub>C:N</sub>: Threshold elemental
 ratio C:N CUE<sub>C:N</sub>: Stoichiometric CUE