Monitoring pollution microbes

When we talk about ecosystems, rather complex entities of different trophic levels and a manifold of interacting organisms are meant, plants as well as microbes and animals. Of course, it is impossible to investigate a complex ecosystem in total by means of calorimetry, but only isolated members of it without connection to the rest of their environment. In this sense, all the calorimetric determinations -direct, indirect or by combustion - are just first approximations to a full energetic picture of the system. Nevertheless, separated animals may be used to monitor changes in the system or influences by xenobiotic substances or pollutions. Again, direct calorimetry renders a more comprehensive description because aerobic plus anaerobic metabolism is determined while the latter is lost in respiration tests. 

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