Data for soil microbial activity under precipitation

Soil extracellular enzymatic catalysis is the rate-limiting step in soil organic matter decomposition, and <i>V</i>_<em>max</em> and <i>K</i>_<em>m</em> are enzyme kinetic parameters reflecting enzyme catalytic capacity. However, it is still far from clear how these enzymatic kinetic parameters respond to altered precipitation and subsequently influence soil microbial respiration (<i>R</i>_<em>h</em>). Here, we examined the <i>V</i>_<em>max</em> and <i>K</i>_<em>m</em> of seven soil hydrolytic enzymes and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), <i>R</i>_<em>h</em>, and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) under altered precipitation (-30%, ambient, and +30%) across three steppes.