Exotic carbonate – siliceous coralloid speleothems of the Koněprusy Caves, which consist of dominant aggregates of feather‐like, radial fibrous, dogtooth and gothic‐arch calcite crystals, contain a diversity of petrified fossil microbes entombed in siliceous parts of the speleothems. Although a complete diagenetic continuum of SiO₂ polymorphs, ranging from opal‐A, through opal‐CT, to moganite and crystalline quartz, was identified to form thin irregular laminae and the infills of secondary pores throughout the speleothems, the microbes have been preserved only in opal aggregates concentrated in younger growth zones of the speleothems. The identified biomorphic bodies included ovoid and spheroidal forms, interpreted as coccoid microbes, and tubular, bent and elongated forms believed to represent putative silicified filamentous microbes of unknown taxonomic affinity. Other biomorphic microstructures resembling biofilms, and plastic deformations and binary fissions of individual coccoid microbes have also been recognized. The silicified microbes, most of which have been heavily encrusted in situ, still reveal the presence of organic carbon and other biogenic elements detectable beneath their opal coats. Micro‐cavities beneath and around coccoid microbes, interpreted as micro‐borings, suggest that the microbes were able to remove the opal substrate by chemical etching. The morphology and mineralization styles of the microbes, the age of which was estimated to be in the range of 10⁰ to 10² ka, exhibit similarities to silicified microbes from present‐day siliceous hot‐spring geysers and travertines. In contrast to the siliceous parts of the coralloids, the calcite crystals forming the matrix of the speleothems do not contain any calcified microfossils. However, deeply etched calcite crystals, spiky calcite sub‐crystals, needle‐fibre calcite and sparmicrite grains indicate that the processes of calcite dissolution–precipitation mediated by the microbes may have also affected the speleothem exteriors.

中文翻译：

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鞘脂中的微生物特征：来自Koněprusy洞穴（捷克波西米亚喀斯特）的珊瑚的岩相学和扫描电子显微镜研究

外来碳酸盐–Koněprusy洞穴中的硅质珊瑚状鞘脂，由羽毛状，放射状纤维状，犬牙形和哥特式拱形方解石晶体的主要聚集体组成，内含多种石化化石微生物，埋藏在该鞘质的硅质部分中。尽管SiO ₂完整的成岩连续体从蛋白石A到蛋白石CT到云母和晶体石英的多晶型物被识别为形成薄的不规则薄层，并且在整个脾细胞中形成了次生孔的填充物，微生物仅保存在集中在较年轻的生长区的蛋白石聚集体中鞘脂。鉴定出的生物形态体包括卵形和球形，被解释为类球菌微生物，以及管状，弯曲和拉长的形式，被认为代表了未知的分类学亲和力的推定的硅化丝状微生物。还已经认识到其他类似于生物膜的生物形态微观结构，以及各个球状微生物的塑性变形和二元裂变。硅化微生物，其中大多数已在原地被严重包裹仍然揭示出蛋白石外壳下可检测到的有机碳和其他生物元素的存在。球状微生物下方和周围的微腔被解释为微孔，表明该微生物能够通过化学蚀刻去除蛋白石基质。微生物的形态和矿化方式，其年龄估计在10 ⁰至10 ²的范围内 ka，表现出与当今硅质温泉间歇泉和钙华硅化微生物的相似性。与珊瑚质的硅质部分相比，形成蛇眼石基质的方解石晶体不含任何钙化的微化石。然而，深腐蚀的方解石晶体，尖晶状的方解石亚晶体，针状纤维的方解石和方钠石晶粒表明，微生物介导的方解石溶解-沉淀过程也可能影响了蛇麻草的外部。