Advances in Stromatolite Geobiology (Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences)

Stromatolites are the most intriguing geobiological structures of the entire earth history since the beginning of the fossil record in the Archaean. Stromatolites and microbialites are interpreted as biosedimentological remains of biofilms and microbial mats. These structures are important environmental and evolutionary archives which give us information about ancient habitats, biodiversity, and evolution of complex benthic ecosystems. However, many geobiological aspects of these structures are still unknown or only poorly understood. The present proceedings highlight the new ideas and information on the formation and environmental setting of stromatolites presented at the occasion of the Kalkowsky Symposium 2008, held in Gttingen, Germany. Joachim Reitner: Professor (chair) for Paleontology and Geobiology, director of the Department of Geobiology and the Courant Research Centre of Geobiology at the University of Gttingen. Awardee of the DFG G.W.-Leibniz award and ordinary member of the Gttingen Academy of Science. Coordinator of the DFG research unit 571 “Geobiology of Organo- and Biofilms” Nadia-Valrie Quric:PhD in microbial ecology of deep marine sediments at the University of Bremen. Research assistant for geomicrobiology at the Department of Geobiology of the University of Gttingen. Gernot Arp:PhD in paleontology and geobiology of ancient microbial systems at the University of Gttingen. Research associate for paleontology and geomicrobiology at the Department of Geobiology of the University of Gttingen. Associate coordinator of the DFG research unit 571 “Geobiology of Organo- and Biofilms”. . Draft Table of contents Advances in Geobiology of Stromatolite Formation Proceedings of the Kalkowsky Symposium held in Gttingen 2008 Reitner, Joachim, Queric, Nadia-Valerie & Arp, Gernot (eds.) Foreword Introduction Stromatolite Formation Baburajendran et al Molecular approaches to studying living stromatolites Meister et al Magnesium Inhibition controls Spherical Carbonate Precipitation in Ultrabasic Springwater (Cedars, California) and Culture Experiments Guido et al. Could Rare earth Element patterns discriminate between biotic and abiotic mineralization? Sumina, E.L. et al. Stromatolites: “Skeleton” and “soft body” Takashima C. et al Microbial control to lamina formation in a travertine at Crystal Geyser, Utah Warthmann, R. et al. The role of purple sulfur bacteria in carbonate precipitation of modern and possible Early Precambrian stromatolites Wolicka, D. & Andrzej Borkowski, A. Biogeochemistry of CaCO3 precipitation under sulphate-reduction conditions Microbial Ecology Babel et al Gypsum microbialite domes shaped by brine currents from the Badenian evaporites of western Ukraine Heller et al Microbial ecology and biomarkers of Mud Volcanoes of Nirano (Northern Italy) Rodrguez-Martnez, M. et al Tolyppammina gregaria-Frutexites assemblage and ferromanganese crusts: a coupled nutrient-metal interplay in the Carnian sedimentary condensed record of Hallstatt Facies (Austria) Radtke, G. & Golubic, S. Microbial euendolithic assemblages and microborings in intertidal and shallow marine habitats Reolid, M. Interactions between microbes and siliceous sponges from Upper Jurassic buildups of External Prebetic (SE Spain) Schmidt, A. et al Microbial pattern in amber Delecat et al. Microbial recovery after Triassic/Jurassic extinction on the Steinplatte-Reef (Austria) Microbial Biomineralisation Jimnez-Lopez, et al. Myxococcus Xanthus colony calcification: a study to better understand the processes involved in the formation of this stromatolite-like structure Kurz et al Trace element and biomarker signatures in iron-precipitating microbial mats from the tunnel of sp (Sweden) Fossil Record Adachi et al Lower Ordovician stromatolites from the Anhui Province of South China: construction and geobiological significance Kranendonk Van, Martin J. Morphology as an indictor of biogenicity for 3.5-3.2 Ga fossil stromatolites from the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia Bouougri, et al Sedimentology and palaeoecology of Ernietta-bearing Ediacaran deposits in Southern Namibia: Implications for infaunal vendobiont communities Porada et al Ediacaran biolamintes from southern Namibia Reitner et al. Cloudina-thrombolites from the Zaris Mountains (Southern Namibia) Serezhnikova E. A. microbial binding as a probable cause of Taphonomic variability of Vendian fossils: carbonate casting? Future Aspects.