Microbial mats of coexisting bacteria and archaea were the dominant form of life in the early Archean Epoch and many of the major steps in early evolution are thought to have taken place in this environment.
Mikrobni matovi koegzistentnih bakterija i arheja bili su dominantni oblik života u ranom arhaiku i smatra se da su se mnogi veliki koraci u ranoj evoluciji odvijali upravo unutar njih.