On the Ecology of Saprotrophic Fungi and Bacteria in Soil: Biotic and Abiotic Control of Growth Rates
Two groups of organisms dominate the decomposition in soil: fungi and bacteria. One of the most important parameters to optimise for any organism is its growth, and thus a direct way to study the effect of environmental factors on fungi and bacteria in soil is to measure their growth rate. However, methodological constraints have historically prevented this direct approach in soil. Using leucine/t