[Short-term changes in the biomass of fungi and bacteria in soddy-podzolic soil]

Short-term (diurnal or daily) changes in fungal and bacterial biomass were studied using direct count. Diurnal changes in microbial biomass were found to be unreliable. Daily observations have shown that the length of fungal mycelium can change 3--4-fold within 10--30 days, and the number of bacteria, 2--3-fold, the frequency and amplitude of changes depending on the season. Fungal biomass was found to be greater than bacterial biomass by a factor of dozens; that is why, while estimating the biomass of soil fungi, other indices of the biological activity of soil (DNA content, enzymic activity, respiration, etc.) must be taken into account.