Replication data for: Effects of simulated wastewater nutrient amendments on Sphagnum productivity and decomposition within a subarctic ladder fen

Regions of the experimental ribbed fen greater than 50 m away from the point source showed little difference in productivity rates or nutrient content than the reference fen levels. No significant changes to the rate of decomposition of Sphagnum were observed with relation to distance away from point source nutrients as the experimental fen decomposition rates were comparable to the reference fen rates. Sphagnum productivity per year remained greater than mass lost to decomposition.

Therefore, this study suggests that, in the short-term, subarctic peatlands exposed to nutrient levels comparable to that present in treated domestic wastewater will increase their capacity to generate Sphagnum-peat and store carbon. This experimental research aids in understanding to what degree plants mediate shifts in ecosystem dynamics within subarctic ladder fens. Policy makers, community planners, and industries may consult these results for mining development projects within the HBL and elsewhere in subarctic and boreal biomes.