FIG 1.

Visualization of the quantification of soil edaphic characteristics. (A) PCA of the soil samples using the edaphic characteristics pH, %N, %C, C/N ratio, temperature, water content, CFU/g dry soil, and % antagonists. Colored ovals represent the 95% confidence interval (CI). (B) Averages of CFU/g dry soil of samples (light gray) and C/N ratio (dark gray). Error bars represent SEM (n = 3). Black bars represent the pooled % antagonist values. The data show strict correlation between CFU/g dry soil, pooled % antagonists, and C/N ratio. (C) Estimation of total viable bacterial cells in GS and FSS and the culturability of these populations on 10% TSA. Error bars represent SEM (n = 6). In E. coli, the culturability was 95.5% ± 13.5% (n = 12).