Microbial Mats Modern and Ancient Microorganisms in Stratified Systems [Paperback]

This book provides information about microbial mats, from early fossils to modern mats located in marine and terrestrial environments. Microbial mats  layered biofilms containing different types of cells  are most complex systems in which representatives of various groups of organisms are found together. Among them are cyanobacteria and eukaryotic phototrophs, aerobic heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic bacteria, protozoa, anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria, and other types of microorganisms.

These mats are perfect models for biogeochemical processes, such as the cycles of chemical elements, in which a variety of microorganisms cooperate and interact in complex ways. They are often found under extreme conditions and their study contributes to our understanding of extremophilic life. Moreover, microbial mats are models for Precambrian stromatolites; the study of modern microbial mats may provide information on the processes that may have occurred on Earth when prokaryotic life began to spread.

Introduction: Microbial Mats Matter as Marvelous Manifestations of Life, J.T. StaleyPreface, J. Seckbach and A. OrenList of Authors and their AddressesPART 1: THE NATURE OF MICROBIAL MATSWhat are microbial mats? G. GerdesPaper from Outer Space  On Meteorpapier and Microbial Mats, A.OrenPART 2: MICROBIAL MATS IN THE GEOLOGICAL RECORDMicrobial Mats on the Early Earth: The Archean Rock Record, M.M. WalshGunflint Chert Microbiota Revisited - Neither Stromatolites, nor Cyanobacteria, W.E. KrumbeinPaleoenvironmental Context of Microbial Mat-Related Structures in Siliciclastic Rocks - Examples from the Proterozoic of India and South Africa, P.G. Eriksson et alMicrobially Related Structures in Siliciclastic Sediment Resembling Ediacaran Fossils: Examples from India, Ancient and Modern, S.Banerjee et alOsmotrophic Biofilms: From Modern to Ancient, M.D. Brasier et alMicrobial Mats as a Source of Biosignatures, E. ChaconMolecular Investigations and l30