Soil bacterial communities from forest and grassland plots (composite and individual samples) - sample overview

This dataset contains metadata from soil samples collected as part of a study investigating how sampling effort, spatial extent, and physical homogenization influence plot-level microbial richness estimates in forest and grassland ecosystems. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing data, bacterial community composition was assessed across 57 forest and grassland sites in three regions of Germany to quantify the effects of sampling strategy on soil microbial diversity. Soil sampling was conducted in May 2023 across the three Biodiversity Exploratories: Hainich-Dün, Schorfheide-Chorin, and Schwäbische Alb. A subset of 57 Very Intensive Plots (VIPs) was sampled, comprising 9 forest and 9 grassland plots per Exploratory, except Hainich-Dün, which contributed 12 forest plots. The provided data contain sample metadata including sample identifiers, associated plot and VIP plot information, location, Exploratory region, land-use type (grassland or forest), and pooling status (individual or composite sample). Bacterial community composition was characterized through paired-end Illumina 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, processed using the DADA2 pipeline to generate amplicon sequence variants (ASVs).<br>The data collection and analysis were conducted within the framework of the DFG-funded Biodiversity Exploratories project (https://www.biodiversity-exploratories.de).