This data consist of measurements on soil microbial enzyme activity of six hydrolytic enzymes and related soil measurements from the experimental field sites at Clocaenog forest and Peaknaze. Samples were collected in 2012 from plots subjected to experimental drought and warming as well as untreated control plots. Soil cores were taken for the topsoil 0 to10 centimetres. Enzymes were measured at the climate change field site Climoor that is located in Clocaenog forest, North East Wales and the Peaknaze field site located in the Peak District. The experimental field sites each consist of three untreated control plots, three plots where the plant canopy air is artificially warmed during night time hours, and three plots where rainfall is excluded from the plots at least during the plants growing season (March to September). Six hydrolytic soil microbial enzymes and one oxidase were extracted from the topsoil to test the effect of these enzymes that are involved in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, under the imposed long-term climate change treatments. The hydrolytic enzymes were assayed using 4-methylumbelliferone (MUF) or 7-amino-4-methyl coumarin (AMC) linked-substrates, whereas the oxidase was extracted in pure water. All enzyme extracts were measured colorimetrically. The Clocaenog and Peaknaze field experiments intend to answer questions regarding the effects of warming and drought on ecosystem processes. Plot level microbial related measurements are important to investigate ecosystem carbon dynamics and changes in the soil carbon under the imposed climatic treatments. Measurements were undertaken by trained members of staff at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/9bfa5e3b-dbf0-46fc-a5c4-7970b0d850a8

The data consists of potential phosphatase activity released by fine roots in old growth forests in Central Amazon. Fine roots younger than three months were sampled using the ingrowth core technique in a large-scale nutrient fertilisation experiment. Phosphatase activity is given as a mean of the plant community per plot, where five points inside each plot were sampled and separated in two different soil layers (0-10 and 10-30cm). Samples were collected in February 2018, eight months after the nutrient fertilisation started at the AFEX project area in Manaus, Brazil at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP/ INPA). The study was funded by NERC, BDFFP (logistical support) and Brazilian government (student scholarship) Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/6529004d-b6e8-429d-ac68-0f5324d7e5d0

Data are presented of enzymatic activity of soil collected from paired intensive and extensive grassland systems including low and high pH parent soils, from 32 sites across the United Kingdom. The samples were collected during winter and spring 2015-2016 by project staff experienced in soil core collection. Dry soil samples were analysed for a suit of extracellular hydrolytic enzyme activities. Fluorescently labeled substrates were used to enable the activity of the following enzymes to be measured. All analysis was carried out at CEH Wallingford. The data were collected to help understand soil functional change in a variety of management and climatic scenarios as part of NERC U-GRASS (Understanding and enhancing soil ecosystem services and resilience in UK grass and croplands) award (NERC Reference NE/M017125/1) part of the NERC Soil Security Programme. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/15026591-f803-4b18-a359-cd69ea0e6069