Hydrologic, biogeochemical, microbial, and macroinvertebrate responses to network expansion, contraction, and disconnection across headwater stream networks with distinct physiography in Alabama, USA

Abstract. Here we present a comprehensive dataset of hydrologic, biogeochemical, microbial, and macroinvertebrate community measurements from a set of multi-year, co-occurring, watershed studies in non-perennial stream networks that dynamically expand and contract over space and time. The data were collected over the 2022–2024 water years across three stream networks draining watersheds with a similar humid, subtropical climate but distinct physiographies (i.e., Piedmont, Appalachian Plateau, Coastal Plain) in Alabama, USA. Our goal was to characterize the spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of how non-perennial stream networks expand and contract, as well as the biogeochemical, microbial, and macroinvertebrate dynamics associated with changes in network connectivity and water availability. We used a combination of spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal sampling and sensor-based monitoring approaches to capture hydrologic, biogeochemical, and ecological responses to network expansion and contraction in each watershed. This manuscript describes the overall study design, monitoring network and sampling approaches, data and sample collection and analysis, and specific datasets generated. All data products are publicly available through the Hydroshare data repository for hydrologic, biogeochemical, and macroinvertebrate data (https://www.hydroshare.org/group/247) and through the NCBI data repository for microbial data. All data product-specific DOIs and repository-specific unique IDs are cited in Appendix A (Table A1, Table A3).