Bacterially induced lithification of microbial mats

Abstract

Below the photic zone within live microbial mats from tidal flats, the cyanobacteria are dead and bacteria are the dominant living biota. Field data indicate that precipitation of calcium carbonate occurs predominantly within the mats in the aphotic zone. In order to determine whether bacteria could be responsible for inducing the precipitation of calcium carbonate within the microbial mats, live microbial mats and bacteria were collected from modern tidal flats. Over 50 experiments were set up in the laboratory in which live, naturally dead, and sterilized (autoclaved) dead filamentous cyanobacteria were inoculated with bacterial cultures