Soil was collected from multiple locations under individual Cornus drummondii shrub islands of varying size to measure within-shrub heterogeneity in soil microbial processes. Soil chemistry (Total C, Total N, extractable inorganic N, extractable P, and organic matter cotent), microbial biomass C and N, and potential extracellular enzymatic activity of β-glucosidase, phosphatase, NAG-ase, and LAP-ase were measured. Potential carbon mineralization and the isotopic composition of respired soil carbon was measured over a 77-day laboratory incubation.