Bioavailable Organic Matter: Total and Enzymatically Hydrolyzable Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Lipids

Organic matter in marine sediments is a mixture of compounds exhibiting different levels of bioavailability to consumers, ranging from labile (i.e., immediately digestible; Mayer et al. 1995) to refractory (recalcitrant to decomposition). Refractory compounds (such as humic and fulvic acids,

3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................23 3.2 Field Procedures .....................................................................................................................24 3.3 Laboratory Procedures: Total Proteins ...................................................................................26