SLIME THROUGH TIME THE FOSSIL RECORD OF PROKARYOTE EVOLUTION….pdfVIP

PALAIOS, 2013, v. 28, p. 000–000 Spotlight DOI: 10.2110/palo.2013.SO1 SLIME THROUGH TIME: THE FOSSIL RECORD OF PROKARYOTE EVOLUTION 1 2 3 NORA NOFFKE, * ALAN W. DECHO, and PAUL STOODLEY 1Old Dominion University, Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Norfolk, Virginia 23529, USA, nnoffke@; 2 University of South Carolina; Environmental Health Sciences; Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA, AWDECHO@; 3National Centre for Advanced Tribology; University of Southampton, Engineering Sciences, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK, pstoodley@ *Corresponding author. Copyright © SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology) 0883-1351/13/0028-0000/$3.00 RRH: SLIME THROUGH TIME LRH: NOFFKE ET AL. Published Online: Month Year Keywords: biofilm, microbial mat, paleontology, early life, quorum sensing ABSTRACT Prokaryota in natural environments form biofilms, which are benthic assemblages of a variety of microorganisms embedded within their extracellular mucilage. Biofilms are firmly attached to surfaces such as aquatic sediments. Quorum sensing by the many microbes in a biofilm is collective decision making and cooperation in responding to internal and external parameters affecting the community. This communication is based on chemical signaling affecting gene expression of the microorganisms. Microorganisms situated in a biofilm change behaviors and metabolic activities to comply with the requirements of the entire biofilm cooperative. Consequently, reconstruction of the evolution of prokaryotes in Earth history must consider the biofilm way of microbial life. Biogenic sedimentary structures might not represent certain microbial groups, but in fact may be relics of modified cooperative microbial activities. Future research should focus on detectable biosignatur