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.