Biologically produced calcium-carbonates are among the most important sources of information for climate change studies but, surprisingly, no agreement exists about the crystallization mechanism of these widely used biological archives.
To understand trace element incorporation and stable isotope fractionation during biogenic mineral formation the complex interplay between ion transport from the environment to the site of calcification by means of cell physiological processes and subsequent crystal nucleation and growth in the presence of organic molecules has to be understood. This requires the united effort of scientists from different fields like cell physiology, mineralogy/crystallography, and analytical chemistry/physics. The scope of this session therefore is to represent research from different disciplines, which could help to understand biomineralization on a process based level.