Analysis for those summary statistics seems to have limited implication due to the limitation imposed by Ecoplate. Ecoplate can only detect those microbes can readily utilize those C substrates and grow fast enough under the conditions you provide. Looking at the individual or groups of C substrates is feasible and could be more informative. Try R with vegan or labdsv packages for ordination. It is easy and running unconstrained ordination is quite easy.

Dear Manu,

We use ECO plates very often and perhaps it is possible that you find an answer in the following papers:

Or this one (I thought I could place different papers in one attachment)

Thank you Sanghoon Kang and Anton Breure for the nice suggestions. I found the papers very interesting.

We used ECOplates to differentiate soil microbial communities in relation to heavy metal pollution and soil pH.

Thank you Prof. Helmut for the nice paper. I am wondering about the grouping of all substrates in polymer, carbohydrates, etc. Have you made the average of OD values of individual substrates of Polymers for grouping?

As far as I can recall, OD values for the different groups (polymers, carbohydrates, carboxylic acids, amino acids) are average values of the corresponding individual substrates.

Although glucose-1-phosphate is the easiest C-substrate required for ATP synthesis, my groundwater sample has used it in least amount in comparison to other carbohydrates. Can you please suggest me any suitable explanation for this?