Quantifying stability in microbial communities by accounting for dormancy

It is estimated that only 10-20% of environmental microbial communities are comprised of active cells, while the rest are dormant or inactive. Distinguishing the dormant and active diversity and characterizing transitions between these pools over time and in response to stressors will provide insights into their responsive roles in quantifying microbial community stability. We will discuss methods for observing the active v. dormant pools and approaches for partitioning their additive contributions to temporal community dynamics.