biovermiculation:
A biovermiculation, frequently called bioverm,is a microbial community exhibiting a patterned growth within an extreme environment. Bioverms are of interest in overlapping natural-science disciplines such as geomicrobiology, speleology and astrobiology. [Quotes & Notes]
Noted in “Why the hunt for alien life is under way far beneath Earth’s surface,” Donna Lu, NewScientist (16 November 2019, paywall):
The [cavern] adjoins a grey-black pool of water and the walls are covered with slimy, worm-like patterns called biovermiculations, created by slow-growing microbes.
