Microbial sampling metadata from Konza prairie (KS, USA) stream synoptic (AIMS_GP_approach3_MIME)

This study surveyed leaf litter across a non-perennial stream system located within the South Fork of King’s Creek at Konza Prairie Biological Station. At the USGS gage located on the mainstem (06879560; est. 1979), Kings Creek is a 5th order intermittent stream draining 1059-ha of tallgrass prairie in the Kansas Flint Hills. Sample collection followed a synoptic survey design to support the sampling goals of the Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams (AIMS) Project. During June 2021, a field team co-collected datasets characterizing stream microbiota, biogeochemistry, and hydrology across 50 locations within a sub-drainage of the South Fork of Kings’ Creek. The 50 sites were selected to balance multiple competing priorities: (i) strategically targeting existing monitoring infrastructure with long-term data (n=14); (ii) including sites near several known springs and tributary junctions (n=9); and (iii) including a range of drainage area and topographic wetness index (TWI) values (n=27), both of which have been correlated with flow permanence elsewhere. For a detailed description of the site selection process, please see (Swenson et al., 2024). Samples were collected during the period of June 4th to June 8th, 2021, following the AIMS Microbial Field Sampling protocol (Zeglin and Busch, 2024). Briefly, at each site, the microbial sampling field crew visually ascertained whether surface water was present at the site, classifying sites as 'wet' (n=45) or 'dry' (n=5). At the time of sampling the stream was divided into three subsampling areas (compartments) of equal width across the wetted width of the channel at wet sites, or across the inferred channel width at dry sites. At each site, one leaf was collected randomly from each of the three sampling compartments. Where there was no leaf litter located directly within a subsampling area, leaf litter up to 2-m upstream of the transect was sampled, or beyond 2-m no leaf litter was sampled for that compartment. We avoided leaves that were too decomposed to be identifiable and also avoided green undecomposed leaves. All sampled leaves were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. For subsequent data analysis, the leaf litter data from each site was converted to provide the binary presence/absence of leaf taxa within the sampling transect. In the binary coding scheme, most plant species were lumped to the genus level, but grasses and sedges were lumped to the order Poales. In some cases, leaves were only identified as 'unknown shrub' or 'unknown forb'. The leaves identified in this dataset correspond with the leaves collected for microbial analyses, i.e., EEA analysis, qPCR, 16SS and ITS rDNA metabarcoding. Presence/absence of a leaf type in this dataset corresponds with the presence/absence of a leaf type from the corresponding leaf DNA sample or leaf enzyme sample. References: Swenson, L. J., Zipper, S., Peterson, D. M., Jones, C. N., Burgin, A. J., Seybold, E., ... & Hatley, C. (2024). Changes in Water Age During Dry‐Down of a Non‐Perennial Stream. Water Resources Research, 60(1), e2023WR034623. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR034623 Zeglin, L., M. Busch (2024). AIMS SOP - Microbial Field Sampling, HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/4b071711215341118330c22f18b5d20d本研究针对堪萨斯草原生物站（Konza Prairie Biological Station）内国王溪南支（South Fork of King’s Creek）的非常年性溪流系统开展溪流枯落叶调查。设于干流的美国地质调查局（USGS）水文站（编号06879560，1979年设立）数据显示，国王溪为五级间歇性溪流，流域面积达1059公顷，覆盖堪萨斯弗林特丘陵地区的高草草原。 样本采集采用同步采样设计，以支撑溪流微生物组间歇性水文效应（Aquatic Intermittency effects on Microbiomes in Streams, 缩写AIMS）项目的采样目标。2021年6月，野外团队在国王溪南支的子流域内的50个采样点，同步采集了溪流微生物组、生物地球化学及水文相关数据集。 本次选取的50个采样点兼顾了多项互斥的采样需求：（1）优先覆盖具备长期监测数据的现有监测站点（共14个）；（2）纳入多处已知泉点及支流汇口附近的站点（共9个）；（3）涵盖一系列流域面积与地形湿度指数（Topographic Wetness Index, 缩写TWI）值的站点（共27个）——上述两类指标在其他研究中均与溪流水流持续性存在相关性。采样点选取的详细流程可参见Swenson等人（2024）的研究。 样本采集于2021年6月4日至6月8日期间开展，严格遵循AIMS微生物野外采样规范（Zeglin与Busch, 2024）。简要而言，微生物采样野外团队首先通过目视判定每个采样点是否存在地表水，将站点划分为“湿润”（共45个）与“干燥”（共5个）两类。采样时，对于湿润站点，将河道湿润宽度均分为三个等宽的子采样区域（采样单元）；对于干燥站点，则按推测的河道宽度划分三个等宽子采样区域。每个采样点从三个子采样区域中各随机采集一片枯落叶。若某个子采样区域内无直接可见的枯落叶，则在该样带上游2米范围内采集枯落叶；若上游2米范围内仍无枯落叶，则该子采样区域不采集样本。 采样过程中，规避了过度分解无法辨识的叶片以及未分解的绿色新鲜叶片。所有采集的叶片均鉴定至尽可能低的分类学等级。为便于后续数据分析，各采样点的枯落叶数据被转换为采样样带内枯落叶分类群的二元存在-缺失数据。在二元编码方案中，多数植物物种被归并至属级分类单元，但禾草与莎草被归并至禾本目（Poales）。部分叶片仅能鉴定为“未知灌木”或“未知非禾本草本植物”。 本数据集所鉴定的枯落叶与用于微生物分析的叶片样本完全对应，即胞外酶活性（EEA）分析、定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）、16SS及ITS rDNA metabarcoding分析所用的叶片样本。本数据集内某类叶片的存在-缺失数据，与对应叶片DNA样本或叶片酶样本中的该类叶片存在-缺失情况完全一致。 参考文献： Swenson, L. J., Zipper, S., Peterson, D. M., Jones, C. N., Burgin, A. J., Seybold, E., 等 (2024). 非常年性溪流干涸过程中的水龄变化. 水资源研究, 60(1), e2023WR034623. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR034623 Zeglin, L., M. Busch (2024). AIMS标准操作程序——微生物野外采样, HydroShare, http://www.hydroshare.org/resource/4b071711215341118330c22f18b5d20d