1. On maintenance and metabolisms in soil microbial communities
- Author
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Paul Dijkstra, Ayla Martinez, Scott C. Thomas, Cale O. Seymour, Weichao Wu, Michaela A. Dippold, J. Patrick Megonigal, Egbert Schwartz, and Bruce A. Hungate
- Subjects
Embden-Meyerhof-Parnass glycolysis ,Biochemical efficiency ,Maintenance ,Entner-Doudoroff pathway ,Carbon use efficiency ,food and beverages ,Soil Science ,Metabolic flux analysis ,Plant Science ,Turnover ,Grassland ,Marsh ,Exudation ,Forest ,Pentose phosphate pathway - Abstract
Biochemistry is an essential yet undervalued aspect of soil ecology, especially when analyzing soil C cycling. We assume, based on tradition, intuition or hope, that the complexity of biochemistry is confined to the microscopic world, and can be ignored when dealing with whole soil systems. This opinion paper draws attention to patterns caused by basic biochemical processes that permeate the world of ecosystem processes. From these patterns, we can estimate activities of the biochemical reactions of the central C metabolic network and gain insights into the ecophysiology of microbial biosynthesis, growth, and maintenance energy requirements: important components of Carbon Use Efficiency (CUE).
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