CAREX – Coordination Action for Research Activities on Life in Extreme

(2008 – 2010)

Green Lake

Stromatolites are layered accretionary structures formed in shallow water by the trapping, binding and cementation of sedimentary grains by biofilms of microorganisms, especially cyanobacteria (commonly known as blue-green algae). They include some of the most ancient records of life on Earth.

The CAREX is EU project which coordinate research of life in extreme environments in countries across European Union. It is providing networking and exchange of knowledge opportunities to the scientific community and developing strategic of life in extreme environment. It is interdisciplinary initiative and is approaching life in extreme environments covering microbes, plants and animals evolving in various marine, polar-alpine, terrestrial-subsurface extreme environments as well as outer space. The project is coordinated by 9 European institutions, including the Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. All together, 55 institutions from 23 European countries participate on the project. The Czech scientists participate mainly in polar and alpine research (picture shows Green lake with microbial stromatolite community of cyanobacteria and microalgae on James Ross Island, where the Czech research station J. G. Mendel is located).

More information can be found on the homepage of the project www.carex-eu.org.

Contact:
doc. Ing. Josef Elster, CSc.
tel. +420-384 721 156
e-mail: jelster@butbn.cas.cz

Mgr. Jana Kvíderová, PhD.
tel. +420-384 721 156
e-mail: kviderova@butbn.cas.cz