cff-version: 1.2.0
abstract: "<p>This data is derived from a field based adaptive evolution experiment. Here, we explored a process of species sorting and its consequence on community-level functionality using mabisi, a traditional Zambian fermented milk, by exposing a common mabisi microbial community to five distinct substrates and propagating replicate communities at three farm sites in rural Zambia. The substrates - raw bovine milk (control), low-fat milk, full-cream milk, and the infant formulas F100 and S26 – represented novel environments, were propagated at a fixed dilution and static conditions to generate ~ 66 generations. Microbial community composition was profiled through 16S rDNA sequencing, while community-level functioning was assessed through volatile organic compound profiling by GC-MS, pH changes with a pH meter, and consistency analysis using an Adam&#x27;s consistometer. </p>"
authors:
  - family-names: Nehanda
    given-names: Shepherd
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4297-8829"
  - family-names: Alekseeva
    given-names: Anna
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0164-0539"
  - family-names: van Mastrigt
    given-names: Oscar
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6576-910X"
  - family-names: Chileshe
    given-names: Justin
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4134-2851"
  - family-names: Zwaan
    given-names: Bas J.
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8221-4998"
  - family-names: Smid
    given-names: Eddy J.
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6687-5083"
  - family-names: Schoustra
    given-names: Sijmen E.
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7843-5539"
title: "Data underlying the publication: Species sorting shapes the divergence of a natural bacterial community with repeatable functionality during propagation with alternative substrates"
keywords:
version: 2
identifiers:
  - type: doi
    value: 
license: CC BY 4.0
date-released: 2025-08-21