Dynamic response of microbial biomass, respiration rate and ATP to glucose additions

The dynamic responses of microbial biomass, respiration rate and ATP concentration to glucose solution additions to soil have been measured and compared. The relative response of the three determinants was found to be quite different and ATP per unit of biomass was found to change substantially over the short term. At no single measurement time did the three determinants give similar responses to glucose addition. This confirms that caution is needed in the interpretation of results when only one, or even a pair, of the variables studied is used to indicate soil microbial response to substrate addition or stress factors. All three variables together provide better insight into the dynamics of microbial response to substrate C flow in soil.