Why Sequence Bacteria from Stromatolites?
Marine stromatolites are formed by the interactions of several key bacterial groups, which precipitate repeating layers (laminae) of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). During 70% of the time life has occupied earth, stromatolites were a dominant biological community. Their associated microbial communities have played a significant role in carbon sequestration, preservation, and cycling during the evolution of life. Present-day marine stromatolite communities consist of cyanobacteria (both free-living filamentous cyanobacteria and coccoid endoliths), sulfate reducers (SRB), sulfur-oxidizers (SOB), and aerobic heterotrophs (including fermenters). The interactions of these key groups drive the organized precipitation of CaCO3. The marine stromatolite system, therefore, provides an ideal platform from which to understand fundamental microbially mediated precipitation and carbon transformations, and to probe microbial interactions. The sequencing of six proposed strains of bacteria from stromatolit
