Wildfire strengthens the relationship between soil biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in subtropical forests

Wildfires are disrupting and regenerating forces in nature that affect all ecosystem components. However, the impact of wildfires on soil multitrophic biodiversity and the resulting consequences for ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) remain poorly understood. In this study, we sampled fire chronosequences (1-, 5-, 9-, and 27-year) from burned and unburned plots in subtropical Pinus yunnanensis forests to determine the soil biodiversity of a wide range of taxonomic groups (bacteria, fungi, protists, and nematodes), together with an extensive array of 38 ecosystem functions related to microbial activity, organic matter decomposition and mineralization, and nutrient cycling. The responses of soil biodiversity and EMF varied with soil depth and time since fire. In the surface layer (0–10 cm), a general pattern emerged in all taxonomic groups, with initial declines in soil biodiversity compared with the unburned plots, but the greatest losses occurred only at 5 years post-fire and rever..., , , # Data from: Wildfire strengthens the relationship between soil biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in subtropical forests

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.sn02v6xd8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.sn02v6xd8)

## Description of the data and file structure

The dataset was generated from a field experiment conducted in subtropical forest ecosystems affected by wildfires. Soil and plant litter samples were collected along a fire chronosequence spanning 1, 5, 9, and 27 years since fire occurrence, including both burned and adjacent unburned control plots. A range of soil biotic (e.g., bacterial, fungal, protist, and nematode diversity) and abiotic (e.g., nutrient content, enzyme activity) indicators were measured to assess the impact of wildfire on soil biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality. Data were collected to support analyses of post-fire soil recovery, biodiversity-function relationships, and the temporal dynamics of ecosystem processes following wildfire disturbance. 

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