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Measurement of the adenylate energy charge ratio is proposed as a means of determining the growth state of natural microbial communities and the effect of environmental changes on them. Observations on microbial cultures and on natural microbial populations from the Western North Atlantic Ocean water and from sediments of a coastal salt marsh show that energy charge measurements do show the metabolic state of communities as well as species populations.

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A technique has been developed, using boiling sodium bicarbonate buffer, to extract adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from marine sediments and has been tested on a variety of sediments, including those with high organic content, clay, and carbonate. Recovery of ATP, as measured by the addition of bacteria of known ATP content to sediment, varied from 64–100%. The technique also was as effective as the conventional Tris buffer for extraction of ATP from both pure cultures of bacteria grown in broth and natural seawater samples.