Plant Identity Impacts the Soil Microbiome More Than Interspecific Interactions in Intensively Managed Grasslands

The data file contains multiple measured responses from sown grassland communities in a field experiment in which plant diversity was systematically manipulated. Communities comprised from one to six plant species and one to three functional groups. A summer drought was simulated on half of each plot. All plots received one level of nitrogen fertiliser, and a monoculture of L. perenne received twice the base level of nitrogen fertiliser. The responses were focused on various measurements of chemical and biological responses in soil. Overall, our study found weak effects of plant diversity on several measures of microbial diversity and function in intensively managed agricultural grasslands.