Chlorophyll-a content and ash-free dry mass of quantitative samples of the biofilm on benthic substrate from three chalkstream sites in the Wessex chalk area (Nine Mile River, River Till and River Wylye). Chlorophyll a content and biomass were determined from up to 10 replicate samples at each site on each sampling occasion. The data are presented as means with standard deviation. Data were collected on seven occasions on the Wylye and Nine Mile River and on five occasions on the Till, between October 2012 and October 2013. Data were collected to construct quantified food webs detailing the flux of mass and nutrients between nodes of the food web. This dataset was created as part of work package 3.2 of the Wessex Biodiversity & Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) project. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/64a8cef6-2d5b-452b-8f60-0cfa85ae51bc

A measure of the extent and complexity of riprian vegetation upstream of chalkstream sites derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data for 15 discrete chalkstreams distributed along a white chalk geology extending from Dorset in the south west, through Wiltshire, to Hampshire in the north east. For each site there is an estimate of the minimum, maximum, mean and standard deviation height of vegetation along the banks for a range of distances upstream from the sampling location. Information on the extent and complexity of riparian vegetation upstream of chalkstream sites were used to better understand the relationships between in-stream biological communities and catchment and riparian land use. Stream sites surveyed represented a sample of chalkstreams across a gradient of catchment land cover intensification from catchments dominated by extensive calcareous grassland and woodland to those dominated by arable and improved grasslands. LiDAR data were obtained from the Environment Agency in April 2014. This dataset was created as part of work package 3.1 of the Wessex Biodiversity & Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) project. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/49792936-9f11-4df6-98b3-9a9de595ee69

Ash-free dry mass (AFDM) of three distinct size fractions of organic matter (>1cm, >1mm and > 0.025mm) collected in quantitative samples of the benthic substrate determined from up to 10 replicate samples at three chalkstream sites in the Wessex chalk area (Nine Mile River, River Till and River Wylye) on each sampling occasion. Data were collected on seven occasions on the Wylye and Nine Mile River and on five occasions on the Till, between October 2012 and October 2013. Data were collected to construct quantified food webs detailing the flux of mass and nutrients between nodes of the food web. This dataset was created as part of work package 3.2 of the Wessex Biodiversity & Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) project. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/0446bf29-8f7e-4132-9b34-1b66b9ff5b78

Density and biomass of fish taxa from three chalkstreams in the Wessex chalk area: Nine Mile River, River Till and River Wylye. Data were collected on five occasions, between October 2012 and October 2013. The density of fish taxa at each of the three streams was estimated using benthic fish sampling and multi-pass electrofishing. The mean biomass of individuals of each taxon at each site on each occasion was then applied to the density estimates to derive an estimate of the biomass per m2 of each taxon at each site on each occasion. Data were collected to quantify food webs detailing the flux of mass and nutrients between nodes of the food web. This dataset was created as part of work package 3.2 of the Wessex Biodiversity & Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) project. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/7eee41f8-dbde-4b5e-b2d5-7296b5bfc558

A measure of the extent and complexity of riprian vegetation upstream of chalkstream sites derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data for three chalkstream sites within the Wessex chalk area (River Till, River Wylye and Nine Mile River). For each site there is an estimate of the minimum, maximum, mean and standard deviation height of vegetation along the banks for a range of distances upstream from the sampling location. Information on the extent and complexity of riparian vegetation upstream of chalkstream sites were used to better understand the relationships between in-stream biological communities and catchment and riparian land use. Stream sites surveyed represented a sample of chalkstreams across a gradient of catchment land cover intensification from catchments dominated by extensive calcareous grassland and woodland (Nine Mile River) to those dominated by arable and improved grasslands (Wylye). LiDAR data were obtained from the Environment Agency in April 2014. This dataset was created as part of work package 3.2 of the Wessex Biodiversity & Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) project. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/61170f63-5ce0-43e3-8b0e-49c5a47bd3d0

The data consists of a matrix of 12 land cover classes by 20 stream sites with the area of each land cover class given in km2. The areal coverage (km2) of each of 12 land cover classes was recorded for each of 20 chalkstream catchments in southern England. The 20 discrete chalkstream catchments are distributed along the white chalk geology extending from Dorset in the south west, through Wiltshire, to Hampshire in the north east, to cover a gradient of catchment land cover intensification from extensive calcareous grassland and woodland through to arable and improved grasslands. These data were acquired in July 2012. This dataset was created as part of work package 3.1 of the Wessex Biodiversity & Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) project. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/b8a66584-da67-49e5-a0b0-d8e0b3e75b99

The number of pollen grains delivered to stigmas in a single visit by flower visitors (from insect orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera) to oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) in southern England. Behavioural and morphological data were also recorded for a subset of visits to understand common traits which led to improved pollen delivery. These data were collected as part of Wessex BESS project, funded by the NERC Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability research program. This dataset can be used in conjunction with other Wessex BESS datasets, in particular the landscape scale survey of pollinators. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/ee145769-2853-4a89-8aa6-c4a5149d07c0

This dataset contains greenhouse gas flux data and vegetation survey data from an experiment based at Parsonage Down, UK. The vegetation survey comprises total species percentage cover and species richness data from four 50 cm by 50 cm quadrats. The greenhouse gas flux data comprises net ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange, photosynthesis and respiration data measured with an Infra-red Gas Analyser (IRGA); methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide data measured using gas chromatography; and nitrate and ammonium from soil samples extracted with potassium chloride. The experiment investigated the effect of different plant groups on soil carbon stores and nutrient cycling, by using a mixture of hand weeding and herbicide spot spraying to create different plant communities on the species rich grassland at Parsonage Down. The resulting carbon and nutrient cycling rates were compared to the characteristics of the plant groups. The experiment ran from 2013 to 2015 and this dataset contains data from 2014 only. This experiment was part of the Wessex BESS project, a six-year (2011-2017) project aimed at understanding how biodiversity underpins the ecosystem functions and services that landscapes provide. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/e05b350f-3cf4-4f8d-aa3c-24d562ca756b

This dataset contains vegetation survey data, and nitrate and ammonium concentrations, nitrification and mineralisation rates, microbial biomass and carbon and nitrogen stock data from soils taken from an experiment based at Winklebury Hill, UK. The vegetation survey comprises total species percentage cover and species richness data from four 50 cm by 50 cm quadrats. Net ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange, photosynthesis and respiration data were measured with an Infra-red Gas Analyser (IRGA); methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide data were measured using gas chromatography; nitrate and ammonium from soil samples extracted with potassium chloride; carbon and nitrogen from soils extracted with water; and carbon and nitrogen stocks measured through combustion analysis. The experiment used seeds and plug plants to create different plant communities on the bare chalk on Winklebury Hill and tested the resulting carbon and nutrient cycling rates and compared these to the characteristics of different plant functional groups. The experiment ran from 2013 to 2016 and this dataset contains data from 2016 only. This experiment was part of the Wessex BESS project, a six-year (2011-2017) project aimed at understanding how biodiversity underpins the ecosystem functions and services that landscapes provide. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/e8a1bf2d-bc6b-452f-ab9d-40fa2288fce6

Yield data on winter sown oilseed rape plants, in relation to pollination by insects and in relation to the ecosystem services provided by beneficial insects. Data includes yield assessed for entire field, whole plant and within different parts of the plant (per raceme and per pod). These data can be linked to the related natural enemy data set and the pollinator data set collected as part of the Wessex BESS project, funded by the NERC Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability research program. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/fc219733-a8e8-4ec0-a34e-e0e8115f0d68