Diversity, Mechanisms of Formation, and Predicted Fate of Modern Microbialites on a Rapidly Changing Planet

Accurately interpreting ancient microbialites requires a detailed understanding of how they form, including teasing apart the respective roles of environmental factors versus microbial activity. Modern microbialites serve as essential tools for this purpose. Currently, microbialites form in both marine and continental settings, displaying remarkable diversity in terms of formation environments,…