Project Details
Projekt
In situ Struktur und Funktion von Biofilm-Systemen bei der Mineralisation von Karbonaten
Applicant
Dr. Thomas R. Neu
Subject Area
Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
Term
from 2005 to 2014
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5471545
According to the characteristic features of tufa-forming biofilms from Westerhöfer Bach in comparison with published results in the international research area of calcification we want to evaluate the following hypothesis during the last part of this project. If photosynthesis is accompanied by gliding motility of filamentous cyanobacteria and gliding motility is characterized by the occurrence of Ca-binding proteins as important constituents in the EPS sheaths of organisms, than those behavior-induced secreted calcium-binding macromolecules serve as a nucleation site for calcium carbonate crystals and are of substantial importance for the final result of calcification processes. The evidence of Ca-binding to structures that were actively secreted by cyanobacteria due to physiological reasons is a step forward when the questions will be answered if and maybe more important why tubular structures are found in the fossil record. Investigation of hypersaline microbial mats of the Kiritimati atoll focused on the analysis of structure and function of extracellular polymeric substances within these extraordinary habitats. It is expected that especially production and degradation of EPS in different zones of the mats may contribute directly to the outcome of calcification processes. Due to the observation that unique microbialites occur at the anaerobic basal parts of the mats it remains to elucidate if substantial differences of EPS composition can be detected in that zone in comparison to uncalcified layers at top parts of microbial mats.
DFG Programme
Research Units
