while in the H horizon it was higher in August. The content of total
and bacteria-specific PLFA was found to significantly correlate with
soil moisture content in both horizons and at both sampling times
(Table 2). Although the content of fungi-specific PLFA was not significantly
affected by soil moisture in the H horizon in August, the
other marker of fungal biomass content, ergosterol, was affected.
The differences in soil or litter moisture content explained a substantial
portion of the total variability, typically above 10% and, in
some cases, even more than 50% (Table 2). Despite higher variation,
the content of most of the individual PLFA molecules also significantly
decreased with decreasing soil moisture content in both
horizons (data not shown).