(Springer Verlag, 2002) Cowan, Donald A.; Mamais, A.; Russell, Nick A.; Sheppard, Devon M.
We have applied bioluminescent ATP detection
methods to microbial enumeration in Antarctic Dry Valley
mineral soils, and validated our ATP data by two independent
methods. We have demonstrated that ATP measurement
is a valid means of determining microbial biomass in
such sites, and that the desiccated surface mineral soils of
the Antarctic Dry Valleys contain cell numbers over four
orders of magnitude higher than previously suggested