Why do microbes make minerals?

Prokaryotes have been shaping the surface of the Earth and impacting geochemical cycles for the past four billion years. Biomineralization, the capacity to form minerals, is a key process by which microbes interact with their environment. While we keep improving our understanding of the mechanisms of this process (how?), questions around its functions and adaptive roles (why?) have been less intensively investigated. Here, we discuss biomineral functions for several examples of prokaryotic biomineralization systems, and propose a roadmap for the study of microbial biomin-eralization through the lens of adaptation. We also discuss emerging questions around the potential roles of biomineralization in microbial cooperation and as important components of biofilm architectures. We call for a shift of focus from mechanistic to adaptive aspects of biomineralization, in order to gain a deeper comprehension of how microbial communities function in nature, and improve our understanding of life co-evolution with its mineral environment.

Automated summary

Prokaryotes have been shaping the Earth's surface for billions of years through biomineralization, but the functions and adaptive roles of this process have been less investigated. This paper discusses the biomineral functions of various prokaryotic systems and proposes a roadmap for studying microbial biomineralization from an adaptive perspective. It also explores emerging questions about the potential roles of biomineralization in microbial cooperation and biofilm architectures.