Note: Intro -- Advances in Stromatolite Geobiology -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Part I: General Aspects and Research History -- Founding of the Term `Stromatolite´: Ernst Louis Kalkowsky (1851-1938) and his Early Stromatolite Research -- 1 Biographical Notes -- 2 Kalkowsky´s Research on Stromatolites -- 3 Publications of E. Kalkowsky -- References -- Kalkowskys Stromatolites and Oolites (Lower Buntsandstein, Northern Germany) -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Studied Area and Stratigraphic Frame -- 3 Stromatolites -- 3.1 Macroscopic Observations -- 3.2 Microscopic Observations -- 4 Oolites -- 5 Interpretation and Discussion -- References -- The Nature of Stromatolites: 3,500 Million Years of History and a Century of Research -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Stromatolites and Spongiostromids -- 2.1 Stromatolith -- 2.2 Eozoön, Cryptozoon, Archaeozoon -- 3 Stromatolites as Lithified Microbial Mats -- 3.1 Cyanobacterial Lacustrine Tufas -- 3.2 Andros Marsh -- 3.3 Coarse-Grained Thrombolitic Stromatolites -- 3.4 Tidal Flats -- 3.5 Wrinkle Marks -- 3.6 Reef Crusts -- 4 Stromatolites as Abiogenic Structures -- 4.1 Sinters -- 4.2 Concretions -- 4.3 Folds -- 4.4 Seafloor Crusts -- 5 Stromatolite Fabrics -- 5.1 Fine-Grained Biogenic Crust -- 5.2 Sparry Crust -- 5.3 Hybrid Crust -- 6 Stromatolite Definition -- 7 Discussion -- 7.1 Abiogenic and/or Biogenic Stromatolites? -- 7.2 Microbialite -- 7.3 Seafloor Crusts -- 7.4 Biogenicity Criteria -- 7.5 Fabric Criteria Through the Geological Record -- 8 Conclusions -- References -- Part II: Stromatolite Formation and Microbial Biomineralisation -- Modern Marine Stromatolites of Little Darby Island, Exuma Archipelago, Bahamas: Environmental Setting, Accretion Mechanisms and Role of Euendoliths -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Environmental Setting of Little Darby Stromatolites -- 3 Accretional Processes in Little Darby Stromatolites. , 4 Grain Stabilization Results in a Shift in Euendolith Composition -- 5 Lithification of Bahamian Stromatolites -- 6 Post-accretional Transformations of Stromatolites -- 7 Dynamics of Stromatolite Formation -- References -- Molecular Approaches to Studying Living Stromatolites -- 1 Introduction -- 2 DNA Isolation from Stromatolites: Pros and Cons -- 3 Molecular Tools: Accessing the Genetic Diversity and Beyond -- 3.1 PCR-Based rDNA Analysis -- 3.2 Metagenomics -- 4 The Future of Stromatolite Research -- References -- Magnesium Inhibition Controls Spherical Carbonate Precipitation in Ultrabasic Springwater (Cedars, California) and Culture Experiments -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Study Area -- 3 Methods -- 3.1 Petrography and Isotopes -- 3.2 Precipitation Experiments -- 4 Results -- 4.1 Petrography and Mineralogy of Spring Carbonates -- 4.2 Carbon and Oxygen Isotopes -- 4.3 Precipitation Experiments -- 5 Discussion -- 5.1 Origin of HCO3- and Carbonate Supersaturation -- 5.2 Kinetic Effects on Crystal Structure -- 5.3 Biological Effects on Crystal Structure -- 5.4 Spherical Carbonates Through Earth´s History -- 6 Conclusions -- References -- Microbial Control on Lamina Formation in a Travertine of Crystal Geyser, Utah -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Hydrochemistry of the Crystal Geyser -- 3 Methods -- 4 Textures and Mineralogy of the Laminated Travertine -- 5 Phylogenetic Analysis -- 6 Discussion -- References -- Photosynthesis-Induced Stromatolite Formation in the Freshwater Creeks -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Materials and Methods -- 3 Results and Discussion -- 4 Conclusions -- References -- The Role of Purple Sulphur Bacteria in Carbonate Precipitation of Modern and Possibly Early Precambrian Stromatolites -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Methods -- 3 Results -- 3.1 Morphology of Hypersaline Microbial Mats -- 3.2 Micro-scale Profiles of Oxygen and Sulphide. , 3.3 Artificial Anoxic Microbial Mats -- 4 Discussion -- 4.1 Photosynthesis and Carbonate Precipitation in the Archean -- 5 Conclusions -- References -- Precipitation of CaCO3 Under Sulphate-Reduction Conditions -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Methodology -- 2.1 Microorganisms -- 2.2 Media -- 2.3 Determinations -- 3 Results and Discussion -- 4 Conclusions -- References -- Myxococcus xanthus Colony Calcification: An Study to Better Understand the Processes Involved in the Formation of this Stromatolite-Like Structure -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Materials and Methods -- 2.1 Microorganism and Culture Media -- 2.2 Experimental Procedures, Analyses and Calculations -- 2.2.1 Experimental Procedure and Study of the Mineralization -- 2.2.2 Determination of the Trends of the Growth of the Bacterial Population -- 2.2.3 Study of the Chemistry of the Culture Media -- 3 Results -- 4 Discussion -- 4.1 Patterns of Colony Calcification -- 4.2 Critical Size of the Population Necessary for the Calcification of the Colony -- 4.3 Passive and Active Mechanisms of Calcium Carbonate Precipitation -- 4.4 Passive Mechanisms of Calcium Carbonate Precipitation Giving Rise to an Homogeneous Precipitation -- 4.4.1 Active Mechanism of Calcium Carbonate Precipitation -- 5 Conclusions -- References -- Are Stromatolites the Most Ancient Skeletal Organisms? -- References -- Microbial Mats and Microbialites in the Freshwater Laguna Bacalar, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Materials and Methods -- 3 Results -- 3.1 Hydrology and Water Chemistry -- 3.2 Distribution and Shape of Microbialites -- 3.3 Microbial Mats -- 3.3.1 Calothrix Mat -- 3.3.2 Scytonema Mat -- 3.3.3 Leptolyngbya Mat -- 3.3.4 Internal Structures of Bacalar Microbialites -- 4 Discussion -- References -- Part III: Microbial Ecology and Fossil Record. , Geomicrobiology of Fluid Venting Structures at the Salse di Nirano Mud Volcano Area in the Northern Apennines (Italy) -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Materials and Methods -- 2.1 Study Site and Sampling -- 2.2 Gas Analysis -- 2.3 Geochemical Analyses -- 2.4 Lipid Biomarker Analyses -- 2.5 Microbiological Methods -- 3 Results and Discussion -- 3.1 Geochemistry -- 3.2 Microbiology: Enrichment Cultures -- 3.3 Lipid Biomarkers -- 4 Conclusions -- References -- Trace Element and Biomarker Signatures in Iron-Precipitating Microbial Mats from the Tunnel of Äspö (Sweden) -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Material and Methods -- 2.1 Sample Collection -- 2.2 Sample Preparation -- 2.3 Trace Element Analysis -- 2.4 Biomarker Analysis -- 2.5 Factor Analysis -- 2.6 Structure Analysis -- 3 Results -- 3.1 Structure of the Microbial Mats -- 3.2 Trace Elements -- 3.3 Biomarkers -- 4 Discussion -- 4.1 Structure of the Microbial Mats -- 4.2 Trace Elements -- 4.3 Biomarkers -- 5 Conclusion -- References -- Microbial Euendolithic Assemblages and Microborings in Intertidal and Shallow Marine Habitats: Insight in Cyanobacterial Speciation -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Materials and Methods -- 3 Morphotypic and Ecotypic Diversity and Variability of Coastal Euendolithic Cyanobacteria -- 4 The Identity of Microboring Traces -- 5 Microboring Traces in Ooid Sand Grains -- 6 Diversity of Fascichnus Traces of Coccoid Cyanobacteria in Shallow Marine Environments -- 7 Microboring Cyanobacteria and Prokaryote Speciation -- References -- On Microbiocorrosion -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Niches -- 3 Substrates -- 4 Mechanisms -- 5 Rates -- 6 Global Impact -- 7 Current Concerns -- References -- The Deep-Sea Chemoautotroph Microbial World as Experienced by the Mediterranean Metazoans Through Time -- 1 Preface -- 2 The March of Life -- 3 The Phanerozoic Record of Metazoans in Deep-Sea Chemoautotrophic Communities. , 4 The Deep Mediterranean Basin is Microbes´ Paradise -- 5 Deep Sea Chemosynthetic Environments in the Mediterranean Neogene -- 6 Postface -- References -- Gypsum Microbialite Domes Shaped by Brine Currents from the Badenian Evaporites of Western Ukraine -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Terminology -- 3 The Badenian Gypsum Deposits in Carpathian Foredeep -- 4 Geology of the Study Area -- 5 Sedimentology of Badenian Gypsum Deposits and Microbialites -- 6 The ``Dry Shore´´ Gypsum Microbialites (Unit M) -- 7 Structures Indicating the Direction of Water Flow -- 7.1 Sabre Gypsum Crystals with Concordant Orientation of Apices -- 7.2 Sub-horizontal Selenite Crystals Within Microbialites -- 7.3 Elongated Gypsum Microbialite Domes -- 7.4 Elongated Gypsum Microbialite Domes with Asymmetric Selenite Covers -- 8 Interpretation of the Oriented Badenian Selenite Crystals -- 9 Origin and Environment of the Elongated Domes and Selenite Directional Structures -- 10 Modern Analogues of the Badenian Gypsum Domes -- 11 Final Remarks -- References -- The Microbialite-Vermetid Community of the Salento Peninsula in Southern Italy: A Late Miocene Example of Automicrite Deposition -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Geological Setting -- 3 Methodology -- 4 Results and Discussion -- 4.1 Facies Observations -- 4.2 Microfacies Observations -- 4.3 FT-IR Analyses -- 5 Conclusions -- References -- The Characterisation of Sedimentary Organic Matter in Carbonates with Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Background Data -- 2.1 Samples and Microfacies -- 2.2 Origin and Maturity of Organic Matter -- 3 Analytical Techniques -- 4 Results -- 5 Interpretation and Discussion -- 6 Conclusions -- References -- Interactions Between Microbes and Siliceous Sponges from Upper Jurassic Buildups of External Prebetic (SE Spain) -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Geological Framework. , 3 Sponge-Microbialite Buildups.