ABSTRACT
Are we alone? What is the origin of life? These are some of the most profound questions of humankind, capturing the imagination of scientists and lay people alike for centuries. The search for life elsewhere is dependent on applying lessons learnt from studying the Earth, and thus it is important to focus on studies of Early Earth analogue communities. A major challenge in science is also to identify modern living systems that present unique opportunities to address fundamental questions in fields ranging from microbial ecology, evolution, chemical biology, functional genomics, and biotechnology. Stromatolites represent such a system. One of the earliest pieces of evidence of planetary life is in fact contained in the microfossils of stromatolites. This chapter will focus on microbial mats and stromatolites as living analogues of Early Earth communities. These extant analogues provide an insight into the nature of ancient microbial systems that dominated early life on Earth (McNamara and Awramik 1992), and may also provide clues as to their resilience over such immense periods of geological time. Emphasis will
be placed on recent work carried out on the microbial diversity of the Shark Bay stromatolites, as these systems are one of the most extensively studied to date in terms of their microbial communities. We will also discuss how these early life analogues fit into the emerging and exciting field of astrobiology, a multi-disciplinary field of science that allows us to address fundamental questions on our own origins and existence. Astrobiology is the study of life in the universe-its origins, evolution, distribution, and future. It is a challenging science that depends on strong interdisciplinary collaboration between biologists, geologists, astronomers, chemists and others. Aside from the advancement of human knowledge, research in these and other ‘extreme’ environments has the potential to impact on areas such as economics, theology, and ethics, as well as other philosophical issues that may ultimately define who we are. Finally in this chapter, the biotechnological potential of some of the stromatolite research as well as stress on the importance of conservation of these fascinating ‘living rocks’ will be introduced.
