Plant species richness and biomass, and soil microbial properties data used in "Microbial drivers of plant richness and productivity in a grassland restoration experiment along a gradient of land-use intensity"

Plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) underlying grassland plant richness and productivity are typically coupled with nutrient availability; however, we lack understanding of how restoration measures to increase plant diversity might affect PSFs. We examined the roles of sward disturbance, seed addition and land-use intensity (LUI) on PSFs. We conducted a seed addition and disturbance experiment (SADE) in ten grasslands along a LUI gradient and characterized plant above- and belowground biomass and richness, soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen (Cmic and Nmic); microbial community composition in terms of microbial groups determined from phospholipid fatty acid biomarkers (PLFAs); enzyme activities (Beta-D-Glucosidase, Xylosidase, N-Acetylglucosaminidase and Acid phosphatase); soil properties (pH, Olsen P, bulk density, extractable carbon and nitrogen, mineral nitrogen = nitrate + ammonium and the proportion of fungal OTUs assigned to saprotrophs, pathotrophs (putative plant pathogens) and symbiotrophs (mycorrhizal symbionts). This dataset contains the data that was analysed on soil samples and plant species richness and biomass of the years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 on 10 selected SADE plots in the Schwäbische Alb, southwestern Germany.