1) Dehydrogenase enzymes are important indicators of soil microbial activity and play a role in the biological oxidation of soil organic matter by transferring electrons. 2) Dehydrogenase activity is higher under anaerobic conditions and in soils with more red coloring, indicating more microbial activity. It is also influenced by several soil factors like moisture, aeration, organic matter content, pH, temperature, depth and fertilizer/metal content. 3) Dehydrogenase activity can be used to measure disruptions to the soil microbiome from factors like pesticides and trace elements, with higher enzyme activity indicating lower amounts of contaminants.