Thermophilic bacterial mats

Thermophilic bacterial mats are formed when individual bacteria connect to form long strands known as filaments. Mini-ecosystems are created when the strands bind together to form the thermophilic mats. Examples of these mats can be found in many places throughout Yellowstone.
The communities formed by thermophiles living in the run-off from hot springs are often likened to miniature forests. Microbes living on the surface of the bacterial mats perform photosynthesis to provide fuel for the community (like a forest canopy). Energy is derived from this fuel by the organisms living inside the mat. These microbes also decompose and recycle nutrients to the mat’s canopy helping the ecosystem thrive.

Thermophilic bacterial mats
Thermophilic bacterial mats are formed when individual bacteria connect to form long strands known as filaments. Mini-ecosystems are created when the strands bind together to form the thermophilic mats. Examples of these mats can be found in many places throughout Yellowstone. The communities formed by thermophiles living in the run-off from hot springs are often likened to miniature forests. Microbes living on the surface of the bacterial mats perform photosynthesis to provide fuel for the community (like a forest canopy). Energy is derived from this fuel by the organisms living inside the mat. These microbes also decompose and recycle nutrients to the mat’s canopy helping the ecosystem thrive.
Thermophilic bacterial mats
Thermophilic bacterial mats are formed when individual bacteria connect to form long strands known as filaments. Mini-ecosystems are created when the strands bind together to form the thermophilic mats. Examples of these mats can be found in many places throughout Yellowstone. The communities formed by thermophiles living in the run-off from hot springs are often likened to miniature forests. Microbes living on the surface of the bacterial mats perform photosynthesis to provide fuel for the community (like a forest canopy). Energy is derived from this fuel by the organisms living inside the mat. These microbes also decompose and recycle nutrients to the mat’s canopy helping the ecosystem thrive.