31P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance study of sediment microbial phospholipids

P-31 NMR of soil and sediment provides both a measure of the concentration of phospholipids and an indication the variety of phospholipids present. The spatial and seasonal variation in the phospholipid extracted from the sediments of a simple river system correlate well with the total dissolved phosphorus in the system as well as the expected variation in microbial activity. Me results suggest that (PNMR)-P-31 of sediment and soil phospholipids provides a valuable surrogate measure of changes in the micro biota and thus may be used as a measure of the status of the ecosystem.