The 31 commonly used carbon sources selected by physicists for microbial community analysis are internationally recognized in the study of microbial ecological functional diversitycompareOne of the typical and authoritative methods. Each piece96 hole ECOThere are 3 parallel groups on the board, each with 31 carbon sources and 3 negative controls. After adding the same sample, 3 parallel data sets can be obtained. The characteristic utilization of these 31 carbon sources by microbial communities is called the metabolic fingerprint of the microbial community. A large amount of metabolic information can be obtained from the fingerprint spectrum on a single microplate. Can be used for the study of microbial functional diversity in purebred and mixed microbial communities (such as soil samples).

The ECO board, developed by BIOLOG in the United States, is specifically designed for microbial community analysis and ecological research. The ECO board contains 31 commonly used carbon sources selected by international soil microbiologists for microbial community analysis.

On each 96 well ECO plate, there are 3 parallel sets of 31 carbon sources and 3 negative controls. After adding the same sample, 3 sets of parallel data can be obtained. The characteristic utilization of these 31 carbon sources by microbial communities is called the metabolic fingerprint of the microbial community. A large amount of metabolic information can be obtained from the fingerprint spectrum on a single microplate. Can be used for the study of microbial functional diversity in purebred and mixed microbial communities (such as soil samples).

31 types of carbon sources can be divided into six categories, as follows:

Monosaccharides/Glycosides/Polysaccharides

B2, D-xylose

H1, a-D-lactose

A2, Methyl D-glucoside

G2, Glucose-1-phosphate

E1, a-Cyclodextrin

F1, glycogen

G1, D-Fibrodisaccharide

Amino acids,

A4, L-arginine,

B4, L-asparagine acid

C4 L-phenylalanine

D4, L-serine

E4, L-threonine

F4， Glycyryl-L-glutamic acid

esters

B1, Methyl pyruvate

C1, tween 40

D1, tween 80

A3, D-galactose-gamma lactone

alcohols

C2, I-erythritol

D2, D-Mannitol

H2, D, L-a-glycerol

amine

G4, phenethylamine

H4, putrescine

E2, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine

acids

B3, D-galactouronic acid

F2 D-glucosamine

C3, 2-Hydroxybenzoic acid

D3, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid

E3, r-hydroxybutyric acid

F3, itaconic acid

G3, a-butanone acid

H3, D-malic acid

After simple sample processing (filtration or centrifugation), the supernatant is added to an ECO plate and cultured for up to 5 days. The OD value is measured at 590nm and 750nm using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) reader at regular intervals. The size of the OD value reflects the ability of the sample microorganisms to utilize a certain carbon source substrate. The OD value is exported for analysis, such as AWCD value (average absorbance), richness, single well kinetic analysis, comparison of different types of carbon sources, etc. Cluster analysis can be performed on different samples using clustering software.

It is worth mentioning that the ECO plate can not only detect cultivable microorganisms, but also some non cultivable microorganisms. As long as the microorganisms can utilize the carbon source for metabolism (without proliferation), the colorimetric system on the ECO plate can be detected.

A common application is to use ECO plates to analyze the effects of environmental factors, roots, leaves, fertilizers, pesticides on the ecological functional diversity of soil microbial communities, compare the differences in functional diversity between different samples or the same sample at different times, compare the differences in functional diversity of microbial communities before and after environmental remediation, and so on.