Grazing-induced enhancement of shrub 'multifunctional island' effect is associated with altered soil bacterial β diversity in shrub-encroached grasslands

The presence of shrubs improves ecosystem multifunctionality within their patches, an effect termed the 'multifunctional island' effect. However, the mechanisms underlying the 'multifunctional island' effect of shrubs and its response to grazing are unclear.
This study investigated how grazing regulates these effects through a field experiment conducted on three paired grazed and ungrazed sites within shrub-encroached grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China.
The analysis included 14 functional variables related to plant productivity and soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling. The results indicated that shrubs significantly improved ecosystem multifunctionality, creating thus a pronounced 'multifunctional island' effect. This effect varied with grazing conditions and was more pronounced under grazed scenarios.
Structural equation modeling indicated that grazing directly increased shrub 'multifunctional island' effect and indirectly enhanced it through changes in soil bacterial β diver..., , , # Data from: Grazing-induced enhancement of shrub 'multifunctional island' effect is associated with altered soil bacterial diversity in shrub-encroached grasslands

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.brv15dvm1](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.brv15dvm1)

## Description of the data and file structure

We have submitted our raw data (dataset.zip). The original data corresponding to each figure (including the supplementary figures) are reflected in the table below.

* **n/a**: Not applicable;
* **null**: Cannot be calculated (divisor = 0);
* **RII**: Relative interaction intensity of shrub;
* **G**: Grazed conditions;
* **UG**: Ungrazed conditions;
* **S**: Shrub;
* **I**: Interspace;
* **SE**: Standard error;
* **pH**: Soil pH;

### Figure 1 data

NMDS1 and NMDS2 data were obtained by analyzing bacterial and fungal communities using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS).

### Figure 2 data

Number of functions above the threshold represents the multithreshold multifunctional index under ...