Dataset for Disentangling the roles of microbial traits and mineral protection in regulating temperature sensitivity of soil carbon decomposition in eroded and depositional agricultural soils

We investigated erosion-induced changes in the temperature sensitivity of soil organic carbon decomposition (Q₁0) across three erosion-prone regions in China: the Northeast Rolling Hills in Heilongjiang, the Sichuan Basin in Sichuan, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau in Yunnan. These regions together represent one-fifth of China’s land area and more than one-third of its total erosion area. Within each region, sloping farmlands were selected and four slope positions were identified to capture erosion and deposition gradients: non-eroded hilltops, moderately eroded upper slopes, severely eroded mid-slopes, and depositional footslopes. A total of 48 plots were established, and soil profiles were excavated to 60 cm depth. Samples were collected at 20 cm intervals for physicochemical and microbial analyses. To assess Q₁₀, soil subsamples were incubated under variable temperature regimes, and CO₂ release was measured to calculate the response of decomposition to warming.