Open AccessA theoretical reassessment of microbial maintenance and implications for microbial ecology modeling
Author(s) -
Wang Gangsheng,
Post Wilfred M.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01389.x
Subject(s) - biology , biomass (ecology) , ecology , microbial ecology , compromise , bacterial growth , growth rate , substrate (aquarium) , biochemical engineering , mathematics , bacteria , engineering , social science , genetics , geometry , sociology
We attempted to reconcile three microbial maintenance models ( H erbert, P irt, and C ompromise) through a theoretical reassessment. We provided a rigorous proof that the true growth yield coefficient ( Y G ) is the ratio of the specific maintenance rate ( a in H erbert) to the maintenance coefficient ( m in P irt). Other findings from this study include: (1) the Compromise model is identical to the H erbert for computing microbial growth and substrate consumption, but it expresses the dependence of maintenance on both microbial biomass and substrate; (2) the maximum specific growth rate in the H erbert ( μ max, H ) is higher than those in the other two models ( μ max, P and μ max, C ), and the difference is the physiological maintenance factor ( m q = a ); and (3) the overall maintenance coefficient ( m T ) is more sensitive to m q than to the specific growth rate ( μ G ) and Y G . Our critical reassessment of microbial maintenance provides a new approach for quantifying some important components in soil microbial ecology models.