Metazoan and microbial communities play a key role in the biogeochemical cycles of aquatic and terrestrial systems, in turn controlling the precipitation, dissolution and transformation of different minerals. Such organism-mineral interactions occur in a wide range of natural environments, from freshwater to marine settings, up to extreme environments where anomalous values of pH, temperature, pressure, salinity, oxygen, toxic chemicals, and radioactivity occur. The variability of these chemical/physical environmental conditions is reflected by major, minor, trace constituents, organic compounds (molecular fossils) and specific isotopes which can be entrapped during the biominerals and bioconstructions formation. Therefore, these minerals/rocks serve as proxies for paleoenvironmental reconstructions as well as tools to trace modern environmental variability or anthropogenic impacts (agricultural, industrial, and urban activities).
This session aims at illustrating the recent advances in modern to ancient microbially- mediated minerals and bioconstructions, promoting the interdisciplinary collaborative interaction among scientific community with different expertise, ranging from the various geobiological and mineralogical aspects to geochemical processes influencing water systems. Novel studies on the implications of microbe-mineral interactions on bioremediation mechanisms and on monitoring of marine natural heritage, socio-economic aspects and innovative sampling and analytical techniques are also welcome.
CONVENERS: Mara Cipriani (Università della Calabria), Mario Borrelli (Università della Calabria), Carmine Apollaro (Università della Calabria), Adriano Guido (Università della Calabria), Daniela Medas (Università di Cagliari), Marcello Natalicchio (Università di Torino)
mara.cipriani@unical.it
This session aims at illustrating the recent advances in modern to ancient microbially- mediated minerals and bioconstructions, promoting the interdisciplinary collaborative interaction among scientific community with different expertise, ranging from the various geobiological and mineralogical aspects to geochemical processes influencing water systems. Novel studies on the implications of microbe-mineral interactions on bioremediation mechanisms and on monitoring of marine natural heritage, socio-economic aspects and innovative sampling and analytical techniques are also welcome.
CONVENERS: Mara Cipriani (Università della Calabria), Mario Borrelli (Università della Calabria), Carmine Apollaro (Università della Calabria), Adriano Guido (Università della Calabria), Daniela Medas (Università di Cagliari), Marcello Natalicchio (Università di Torino)
mara.cipriani@unical.it