Data contain the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) numbers of total bacterial and archaeal 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) genes from 3 different nematode treatments and two different substrates conditions in the natural soil. In first treatment condition there was no addition of nematode, in second treatment bacterivorous nematode (Acrobeloides buetschlii) was added and in third treatment there was the addition of fungivorous nematode (Aphelenchoides saprophilus). Meanwhile, two different substrate conditions were: with and without maize litter. The natural soil for these experiments were collected from Dikopshof agricultural site (50°48′21″ N, 6°59′9″ E), Bonn, Germany. These qPCR numbers were collected in June and July, 2023 to look at the effect of nematode grazing in the bacterial and archaeal populations. The qPCR was performed using primer set of 1389F (5′-TGYACACACCGCCCGT-3′) and 1492R (5′-GGYTACCTTGTTACGACTT-3′) with 20 µl reactions on a qTOWER3G (Analytik-Jena, Jena, Germany).
<p>Original data comes from a project which takes or took place as part of the DFG priority program "Exploratories for large-scale and long-term functional biodiversity research". The data is stored together with descriptive metadata, in combination called a dataset, in the project repository (https://www.bexis.uni-jena.de). Species information was extracted from that original dataset. The second paragraph is part of the metadata of the original dataset.</p> <p>It has frequently been shown that grassland management practices such as mowing or grazing alter vegetation structure, microclimate and nutrient content of both plants and soils. If plant species richness is hypothesized to decline under intensive management, then this may have profound consequences also for primary consumers and higher trophic levels.</p>