Nematode community dynamics in Johnson Su compost

Characterising microscopic communities is important for both ecological research and diagnostic applications. In these areas, light microscopy is still a fundamental tool due to its accessibility and real-time imaging capabilities. However, the higher magnifications required for accurate identifications typically necessitates extensive sample preparation. Therefore, this study aimed to design and validate a bright field light microscopy-based platform with magnification up to 1000x without the need for extensive sample preparation. An adapted version of the Peter’s slide was developed, which allows the use of specialised long-working distance objectives without the need for oil immersion. Image quality at higher magnifications were evaluated using nematodes as test organisms. Additionally, the use of the adapted Peter’s slide in characterising microscopic communities was evaluated by studying the temporal dynamics in nematode functional diversity from Johnson Su compost. The adapted Pet..., To validate the adapted Peter’s slide and microscope setup as a platform for characterising microscopic communities, the temporal changes in nematode functional diversity within Johnson Su composting were investigated. This static composting method does not involve any turning after startup and aeration is facilitated via vertical shafts in the compost reactor. Six Johnson Su compost reactors serving as replicates were constructed and maintained following Johnson and DeSimio (2017). The feedstock material consisted of 60% dried grass, 30% wood shavings, and 10% horse manure. Compost samples were collected at three intervals, namely the 1st, 3rd, and 5th months after startup. Using a 20cm stainless steel corer (5 cm diameter) attached to a battery drill, five randomly located cores were extracted per reactor per interval and homogenised to acquire one composite sample. From each composite sample, nematodes were extracted from 200 ml of compost using the decanting and sieving followed by ..., , # Nematode community dynamics in Johnson Su compost

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x69p8czvd](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x69p8czvd)

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset contains data from an experiment investigating the temporal changes in nematode functional diversity within Johnson Su compost reactors. The compost reactors were constructed and maintained following Johnson and DeSimio (2017), with feedstock comprising dried grass, wood shavings, and horse manure. Sampling occurred at three intervals: the 1st, 3rd, and 5th months after startup. Nematodes were extracted, fixed, and quantified as described in the experimental methods.

### Files and variables

#### File: Nematode\_community\_dynamics\_in\_Johnson\_Su\_composting.xlsx

**Description:** Temporal dynamics of nematode communities in Johnson Su composting. The dataset includes the following key variables:

##### Variables

* **Interval**: Sampling interval (1, 2, or 3).
* **Compost reactor**: Identi...