Raw amplicon data of poplar forests

This study was conducted in the Yellow River alluvial plain of northern Jiangsu Province, China. Sampling plots were established in Populus plantations of five distinct age-classes: young (YY, <=5 years), middle-aged (YH, 6-10 years), near-mature (YM, 11-15 years), mature (YN, 16-25 years) and over-mature (YO, >25 years). Within each plot, five subsamples were collected from the 0-10 cm mineral soil immediately beneath the litter layer using a 5-cm-diameter soil auger and immediately composited into a single sample.