We compared decomposition processes of three deciduous tree leaves (Alnus sp., Betula sp., and Populus tremula) in lake water together and without lake water microbiome, which was killed by autoclaving to separately examine the microbial community succession and decomposition process without the effect of lake water microbiome. We followed microbial activity and community succession during the first three weeks and quantified microbial biomass and the proportion of fungal versus bacterial decomposers by sterol and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses.

The present dataset contains the raw sequencing files that were used to identify the microbial and fungal communities of the samples collected during the study.