Microbial Mats
Through most biological processes, byproducts are released. It could be oxygen, sulfur, or carbon dioxide, but either way, these metabolites can be digested by other organisms. Thus, a chain of biological processes between species is formed, and evolution has shaped it circularly to ensure that resources never run out. In other words, all organisms, even the first in the chain, benefit from their partnership. This is the primary concept of microbial mats, which are layered colonies of several distinct species of microorganisms that cooperate to proliferate.
Generally, the colony of different species can be divided into two components. The first is the oxygen-enriched area where oxygenic photosynthetic organisms and aerobic heterotrophs produce and use oxygen to power their metabolisms. The second and lower part is the oxygen-deprived region where anoxygenic photosynthetic organisms use the unutilized wavelengths of light to power the anaerobic (non-oxygen-tolerating) heterotrophs. The byproducts of the heterotrophs are then processed by other organisms and ultimately used by the oxygenic phototrophs. This circular system has allowed the mats to carpet not only the shallow seas but also large portions of the sunless depths. Though their success comes at the cost of overreliance. If a layer of the colony should perish, such as the anoxygenic photosynthesizers, then the rest would follow.
The mats will form a steady base in the food web in the early ecosystems on Sighsten. But, like what happened on our planet, they will be diminished through a combination of grazing macroorganisms and burrowing creatures that oxygenate the lower parts of the colony. The organisms previously reliant on the seemingly endless microbial mats will then have to adapt or join the fossil record.
Generally, the colony of different species can be divided into two components. The first is the oxygen-enriched area where oxygenic photosynthetic organisms and aerobic heterotrophs produce and use oxygen to power their metabolisms. The second and lower part is the oxygen-deprived region where anoxygenic photosynthetic organisms use the unutilized wavelengths of light to power the anaerobic (non-oxygen-tolerating) heterotrophs. The byproducts of the heterotrophs are then processed by other organisms and ultimately used by the oxygenic phototrophs. This circular system has allowed the mats to carpet not only the shallow seas but also large portions of the sunless depths. Though their success comes at the cost of overreliance. If a layer of the colony should perish, such as the anoxygenic photosynthesizers, then the rest would follow.
The mats will form a steady base in the food web in the early ecosystems on Sighsten. But, like what happened on our planet, they will be diminished through a combination of grazing macroorganisms and burrowing creatures that oxygenate the lower parts of the colony. The organisms previously reliant on the seemingly endless microbial mats will then have to adapt or join the fossil record.
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