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Fossil and Recent Biofilms

A Natural History of Life on Earth

  • Book
  • © 2003

Overview

Editors:
  1. Wolfgang Elisabeth Krumbein

    1. ICBM, Carl von Ossietzky University Olgenburg, Germany

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  2. David Maxwell Paterson

    1. Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, UK

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  3. Georgii Aleksandrovich Zavarzin

    1. Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia

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  • Combines knowledge on sub-aquatic and sub-aerial biofilms and their products (stromatolites, oolites, ore, petroleum and gas deposits)
  • Describes how formation and degradation of minerals and rocks is achieved through biofilm formation on and in sediments, soils and rocks

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Table of contents (33 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxi
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  2. Biofilm, Biodictyon, Biomat Microbialites, Oolites, Stromatolites Geophysiology, Global Mechanism, Parahistology

    • Wolfgang E. Krumbein, Ulrike Brehm, Gisela Gerdes, Anna A. Gorbushina, George Levit, Katarzyna A. Palinska
    Pages 1-27

  3. Development and Architecture of Complex Environmental Biofilms

    • Thomas R. Neu, Annett Eitner, M. Luz Paje
    Pages 29-45

  4. Ecosystem Function, Cell Micro-Cycling and the Structure of Transient Biofilms

    • David M. Paterson, Rupert Perkins, Mireille Consalvey, Graham J. C. Underwood
    Pages 47-63

  5. Structure of Marine Biofilms

    • John F. Stolz
    Pages 65-76

  6. Growth, Structure and Calcification Potential of an Artificial Cyanobacterial Mat

    • Michael Kühl, Tom Fenchel, Jozef Kazmierczak
    Pages 77-102

  7. Microbial Processes Forming Marine Stromatolites

    • Pamela Reid, C. D. Dupraz, P. T. Visscher, D. Y. Sumner
    Pages 103-118

  8. Nitrogen Cycling in Marine Cyanobacterial Mats

    • Lucas J. Stal
    Pages 119-140

  9. Diversity of Cyano-Bacterial Mats

    • Georgii. A. Zavarzin
    Pages 141-150

  10. Microbial Spheres from Microbial Mats

    • Ulrike Brehm, Wolfgang E. Krumbein, Katarzyna A. Palinska
    Pages 151-160

  11. Protozoans and Biofilms

    • Hartmut Arndt, Kerstin Schmidt-Denter, Brigitte Auer, Markus Weitere
    Pages 161-179

  12. Bryozoan Morphoprocesses

    • Joachim Scholz, George S. Levit
    Pages 181-195

  13. Biofilms and Macroorganisms

    • Gisela Gerdes
    Pages 197-216

  14. “Farming” of Microbial Mats in the Hindgut of Echinoids

    • Chantal De Ridder, Robin L. Brigmon
    Pages 217-225

  15. Extracellular Polymers (EPS) and Calcification within Modern Marine Stromatolites

    • Alan W. Decho, Tomohiro Kawaguchi
    Pages 227-240

  16. The Study of a Recent Iron-Encrusted Biofilm in the Marine Environment

    • David C. Gillan
    Pages 241-248

  17. Microbial Endoliths as Internal Biofilms

    • Stjepko Golubic, Jürgen Schneider
    Pages 249-263

  18. Epibenthic Cyanobacterial Communities Interacting with Sedimentary Processes in Siliciclastic Depositional Systems (Present and Past)

    • Nora Noffke
    Pages 265-280

  19. The Role of Biofilms in the Fossilization of Non-Biomineralized Tissues

    • Derek E. G. Briggs
    Pages 281-290

  20. Fossil and Subrecent Fungal Communities in Three Calcrete Series from the Devonian of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Carboniferous of Northern France and Cretaceous of Central Italy

    • Alain Preat, K. Kolo, B. Mamet, Anna A. Gorbushina, David C. Gillan
    Pages 291-306
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Keywords

About this book

MICROBIAL BIOFILMS: PROTECTIVE NICHES IN ANCIENT AND MODERN GEOMICROBIOLOGY J. W. Costerton and Paul Stoodley Center for Biofilm Engineering Montana State University As this book is published based on discussions of a conference that was held in 2001, it may be useful to provide an update on the most recent revelations about biofilms, so that this excellent exposition of the contribution of microbial biofilms to geological processes may be placed in a modem context. The importance of the contribution of microbial biofilms to global processes is only now being appreciated as it is revealed that all terrestrial surfaces are teeming with microbial life in the form of biofilm communities. These communities live on soil particles, in rock fissures, marine and river sediments and at the very extremes of terrestrial habitats from inside Antarctic ice to the walls of deep sea hydrothermal vents. The contribution of these biofilm communities generally went unrecognized because it was the water that was where microbiologists looked for life, not the surfaces, although, evidence of the early association of microbes with surfaces was in fact present in the fossil record (Rasmussen, 2000; Reysenbach, and Cady, 2001). It is also revealing that biofilm formation is found in prokaryotes from the most deeply rooted branches of the phylogenetic tree in both the Archaea and Bacteria kingdoms, the Korarchaeota and Aquificales respectively (Jahnke et al. 2001; Reysenbach et al. 2000).

Reviews

"Fossil and Recent Biofilms provides a smørgasbord of data on microbial communities. Students of microbial ecology, evolution, biogeochemistry, and sedimentary geology will all find this volume valuable. Those who would integrate these disciplines will find it indispensable."
(Andrew H. Knoll, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA)

"Virtually all the world's experts in the area of ancient and fossil biofilms contributed to a 33 chapter compendium that offers something for everyone. The subjects range from definitions of terms, to the history and philosophy of biofilms, to the implications of biofilms for the evolution of microbes, the evolution of the Earth, and even the search for extraterrestrial life. The preface by Costerton and Stoodley is quite valuable in contrasting the "old" of this compendium with some of the "new" developments that are happening now, and even on the horizon. In the preface, biofilms are viewed as dynamic, evolving communities - sites for horizontal gene transfer and community adaptation and gene-swapping."
(Ken Nealson, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA)

"Overall diversified and high quality pictures illustrate an update synthesis of the modern concept of microbial biofilms in geomicrobiology which target both researchers, lecturers and students."
(F. Garabétian, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France. Int. Journal of Limnology, 2004, 40 (2).)

Editors and Affiliations

  • ICBM, Carl von Ossietzky University Olgenburg, Germany

    Wolfgang Elisabeth Krumbein

  • Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, UK

    David Maxwell Paterson

  • Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia

    Georgii Aleksandrovich Zavarzin

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Fossil and Recent Biofilms

  • Book Subtitle: A Natural History of Life on Earth

  • Editors: Wolfgang Elisabeth Krumbein, David Maxwell Paterson, Georgii Aleksandrovich Zavarzin

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0193-8

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2003

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-1597-7Published: 30 November 2003

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-90-481-6412-7Published: 01 December 2010

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-017-0193-8Published: 11 November 2013

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXI, 482

  • Topics: Biogeosciences, Biochemistry, general, Freshwater & Marine Ecology, Paleontology, Zoology, Microbiology

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