Re: [compost_tea] Re: Some Numbers and Metabolites

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 17:53:32 EST


Kirk wrote:
Ok, this is probably Microbiology 101, but I have to ask to make a mental
connection about metabolites, which I have taken to mean the dead bodies of
soil critters, effectively,

No, metabolites are not the dead bodies of critters. You could quibble about
the dead bodies being a product of organism metabolism, but we don't really
mean that when we use the term metabolite. Organisms are the things producing
metabolites. Organisms aren't metabolites.


Kirk worte:
Organisms are either active, dormant, or dead, right? If you haven't seen
transitions from (potentially) dormant to active, this probably means they were
dead, ie fully decomposed and ready to go again, right? Are these metabolites?

There is a difference between something being dead, but not yet decomposed,
and actually being decomposed.

We can't often tell if something is truly dead, but not yet decomposed,
versus something that isn't dead, but dormant. In humans, for example, we have
that problem - what if someone is suffering certain kinds of diseases, where
metabolism is pretty much shut down, breathing is minimal, respiration is minimal,
pulse is nearly non-existent, but the person is in fact, still alive and
resuscitatable? People who fall into icy waters can go into that protective
condition, for example. How do you tell truly dead versus in that kind of
dormancy?

A problem. We have the same problem with microbes. But, regardless, the
organisms, human or otherwise, are not metabolites. They are still organisms; if
they look like organisms, they are organisms, until they decompose enough
that we can tell they are decomposing.

And then, the decomposition products from the organisms doing the decomposing
of the dead organism are metabolites. The partially decomposed dead organism
is still organism biomass, but doesn't get counted as anything except perhaps
organic matter, since it's in transition from being one kind of organism, to
becoming another organism, plus metabolites.

Completely confused yet? Or did that help?


> As Kirk says, its not just a right, it is a requirement of citizens in a
> democracy to express their opinions.

Strongly agree, but actually, I used a variant of a quote from Gunter Grass:
"The job of citizens is to keep their mouths open."

Wasn't my paraphrase close enough? The original is still the best, and thank
you for giving us the correct quote. Grin!!!!!

In this close an election, everyone needs to add their vote to the total.
Please get out and add your voice. Or number two pencil marks....

Elaine R. Ingham
Soil Foodweb Inc., Corvallis, Oregon
Soil Foodweb Inc., Port Jefferson, New York
Soil Foodweb Institute, Lismore Australia
Soil Foodweb Institute Cambridge, New Zealand
Laboratorios de Soil Foodweb, Culiacan, Mexico
Soil Foodweb Inc., Jerome, Idaho
Soil Foodweb Inc., South Africa







Received on Mon Nov 01 2004 - 23:17:22 EST

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