Tapices microbianoslos organismos que fabrican estromatolitos

Abstract

Microbial mats and their fossil counterparts (stromatolites) are useful indicators in sedimentary rocks. The existence of living things in the earliest periods of the geological history of Earth or in extreme sedimentary environments (hypersaline conditions, hot springs, soda lakes) can be deduced thanks to stromatolites. In addition, the existence of extraterrestrial life on other celestial bodies could be inferred by detecting their presence. The scientific terminology in this field, geomicrobiology, is sometimes confusing or misleading. In this work, the most important concepts are defined in order to clarify the relationship between the geologic record and recent environments. This relationship is defined by the biomineralization of microbial mats, that is, the way microbial communities can promote formation of rocks by mineral precipitation and accumulation of detrital grains. To this end, we show how different groups of prokaryotes or sometimes eukaryotes facilitate the genesis of specific minerals and mineraloids. In addition, we suggest some learning activities, such as field trips, role plays or performances, and laboratory workshops, in order for students to understand the processes associated with microbial mats