DNA metabarcoding data of arthropods from lower mountain range regions in southwest Germany

For each detection of an Observational Taxonomic Unit (OTU), the number of reads is also given, as well as further information about the species assigned. The species information was derived from a comparison of the detected DNA sequences with the BOLD database and the database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

Further, the Ribosomal Database Project (RDP) classifier was used to identify species. A consensus taxonomy compiles the species information dervied from the different databases and ranks the results according to their validity by using labels from A to C (Information on A, B, and C given at the description of the variables). The DNA metabarcoding process is decribed in detail in Uhler et al (2021): Relationship of insect biomass and richness with land use along a climate gradient (nature.com/articles/s41467-021-26181-3#Sec10 ).