Fig. 2. Distribution of lipids among different soils. NLFA and PLFA are calculated as proportions of ELFA by soil and sample type.
and ELFA were positively and significantly correlated to each other in both rhizosphere soil and roots in both experiments,whilePLFA was positively and significantly correlated to NLFA and ELFA in roots but not in rhizosphere soil (data not shown). Large differences were observed in the distribution of the biomarkerfattyacid16:15cis between the various lipid fractions in soil and roots (Fig. 2). In soil, PLFA plus NLFA were approximately one-half of the total ester-linked fatty acids ELFA, while in roots NLFA plusPLFAwereapproximately90%ofELFA.WhileNLFA was always much greater than PLFA, the ratio of NLFA to PLFA was higher in roots than in soil.