Guo_et_al_2024_ELE-00433-2024_Data and Code

Soil microorganisms play a pivotal role in terrestrial ecosystems, influencing carbon (C) sequestration through their metabolic activities, which are often constrained by nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability. Despite this significance, a comprehensive understanding of microbial nutrient limitation patterns in terrestrial ecosystems on a global scale remains elusive. In this study, we conducted a global synthesis of 1225 observations from 225 published articles spanning across terrestrial ecosystems to elucidate the prevailing patterns and influencing factors of microbial nutrient limitation.We extracted data on various soil extracellular enzymes, including BG, LAP, NAG, and AP. Additionally, we recorded vegetation types, site location (longitude and latitude), mean annual temperature (MAT) in degrees Celsius (°C), mean annual precipitation (MAP) in millimeters (mm), and soil properties such as pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), total N, cation exchange capacity, clay proportion ,and environmental factors (MAT and MAP) from the literature.The constructed database encompasses an MAT range of −7–30 ℃ and an MAP range of 65–7400 mm. The terrestrial ecosystem types included in this dataset are limited to forest (981 observations), grassland (204 observations), and shrubland (60 observations).