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Microbial Mats pp 131–148Cite as

Osmotrophic Biofilms: From Modern to Ancient

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Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 14))

Abstract

We here explore the potential of nonphotosynthetic microbes as significant players in the formation and preservation of structures such as microbial mats and soil-like networks. In particular, we focus on organisms such as actinobacteria and fungi, known to feed by osmotic absorption of preformed organic compounds, which we collectively refer to as “osmotrophs” here. We show that they have a fossil record that may be traced far back into the Proterozoic in a range of sedimentary environments.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the help and advice of Ian Yenney, Lynn Margulis, Duncan McIlroy, Alexander Schmidt, and Owen Green.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Parks Road, OX1 3PR, Oxford, UK

    Martin D. Brasier, Richard H. T. Callow, Latha R. Menon & Alexander G. Liu

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  1. Martin D. Brasier
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Correspondence to Martin D. Brasier .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Jerusalem, Mevo Hadas 20, Efrat, 90435, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

  2. Inst. Life Sciences, Div. Microbial and Molecular Ecology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat Ram Campus, Jerusalem, 91 904, Israel

    Aharon Oren

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Brasier, M.D., Callow, R.H.T., Menon, L.R., Liu, A.G. (2010). Osmotrophic Biofilms: From Modern to Ancient. In: Seckbach, J., Oren, A. (eds) Microbial Mats. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 14. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3799-2_7

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