Stjepko Golubic
My research concerns the relationship between microorganisms and mineral deposits. It is by nature ecological and interdisciplinary, involving aspects of paleontology, sedimentology, and geochemistry. My interests include the role of microorganisms in carbonate deposition and dissolution, ecology of modern stromatolites, biokarst formation, use of microborings as paleoenvironmental indicators, ecology and taxonomy of cyanobacteria of extreme environments, and interpretation of microbial fossils, with particular reference to the Precambrian.
Current projects in my laboratory include: microbial fossils in Mesoproterozoic peritidal and shallow water deposits, microbial mats dominated by ancient cyanobacteria, comparisons between modern and ancient microbial mats and processes that occur in these environments, modern and ancient microbial endoliths that penetrate carbonate substrates and leave recognizable traces and trace fossils, study of modern and fossil microbial endoliths and microborings in corals, assessment of health of corals and coral reefs, and ecology of past and present travertine deposition and the role of microorganisms in formation of cacareous deposits.
