This book provides information about microbial mats, from early fossils to modern mats located in marine and terrestrial environments. Microbial mats - layered biofilms containing different types of cells - are most complex systems in which representatives of various groups of organisms are found together. Among them are cyanobacteria and eukaryotic phototrophs, aerobic heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic bacteria, protozoa, anoxygenic photosynthetic...