Root anatomical traits modulate the assembly and nitrogen transformation potential of root-associated microbiomes in a temperate steppe

This dataset supports the findings of the manuscript "Root anatomical traits modulate the assembly and nitrogen transformation potential of root-associated microbiomes in a temperate steppe" (NPH-MS-2026-55667). It contains root traits data, bacterial 16S rRNA gene absolute abundances, functional gene relative abundances, DNA extraction metadata, and phylogenetic marker sequences for 37 plant species from a temperate steppe ecosystem.

The dataset includes the following files:

1. root traits.csv – Root traits including average diameter (AD), specific root length (SRL), specific root area (SRA), root tissue density (RTD), root nitrogen content (RNC), root carbon content (RCC), carbon‑nitrogen ratio (RCN), cortex layer number (CLN), cortex thickness (CT), and the ratio of cortex thickness to root diameter (CTRD). The first column lists plant species names.

2. Absolute abundance of 16S rRNA gene.csv – Quantitative PCR (qPCR) derived absolute abundances of bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies (copies/ng DNA) across different root compartments (rhizosphere, rhizoplane, endosphere), host species, root orders, and cotyledon classes (monocot/dicot).

3. DNA extraction sample weight.csv – Fresh weight (grams) of root material used for DNA extraction for each sample, linked by SampleID to the abundance data.

4. DNA extraction concentration.csv – Qubit‑measured DNA concentrations (ng/μL) and the sample volume (μL) used for quality control, together with sample metadata.

5. 37species.fasta – DNA sequences of two chloroplast markers (matK and rbcL) for the 37 plant species included in the study. The sequences are in FASTA format with headers formatted as ">Species". These were used for host phylogeny construction and Pagel’s λ analyses.

6. Quantitative PCR results of functional gene.csv – Quantitative PCR (qPCR) derived relative abundances of bacterial 16S rRNA gene and functional genes across different root compartments (rhizosphere, rhizoplane, endosphere), host species, root orders, and cotyledon classes (monocot/dicot).

7. README.md – A detailed description of each file, column headers, abbreviations, units, and any missing value codings (NA).

All data are provided to ensure transparency and reproducibility of the analyses. For methodological details, please refer to the Materials and Methods section of the associated publication.

These data are under embargo until the associated research article is published. After that date, they will be freely available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. During the embargo period, the metadata (title, authors, abstract) and the DOI remain publicly visible, but the data files are not accessible. For access requests before the embargo expires, please contact the corresponding author.