IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v10y2019i1d10.1038_s41467-019-10872-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Anoxygenic photosynthesis and the delayed oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere

Author

Listed:
  • Kazumi Ozaki

    (Georgia Institute of Technology
    NASA Astrobiology Institute, Alternative Earths Team
    Universities Space Research Association
    Toho University)

  • Katharine J. Thompson

    (University of British Columbia)

  • Rachel L. Simister

    (University of British Columbia)

  • Sean A. Crowe

    (Georgia Institute of Technology
    University of British Columbia)

  • Christopher T. Reinhard

    (Georgia Institute of Technology
    NASA Astrobiology Institute, Alternative Earths Team)

Abstract

The emergence of oxygenic photosynthesis created a new niche with dramatic potential to transform energy flow through Earth’s biosphere. However, more primitive forms of photosynthesis that fix CO2 into biomass using electrons from reduced species like Fe(II) and H2 instead of water would have competed with Earth’s early oxygenic biosphere for essential nutrients. Here, we combine experimental microbiology, genomic analyses, and Earth system modeling to demonstrate that competition for light and nutrients in the surface ocean between oxygenic phototrophs and Fe(II)-oxidizing, anoxygenic photosynthesizers (photoferrotrophs) translates into diminished global photosynthetic O2 release when the ocean interior is Fe(II)-rich. These results provide a simple ecophysiological mechanism for inhibiting atmospheric oxygenation during Earth’s early history. We also find a novel positive feedback within the coupled C-P-O-Fe cycles that can lead to runaway planetary oxygenation as rising atmospheric pO2 sweeps the deep ocean of the ferrous iron substrate for photoferrotrophy.

Suggested Citation

  • Kazumi Ozaki & Katharine J. Thompson & Rachel L. Simister & Sean A. Crowe & Christopher T. Reinhard, 2019. "Anoxygenic photosynthesis and the delayed oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-10872-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10872-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10872-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-019-10872-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wang Zheng & Anwen Zhou & Swapan K. Sahoo & Morrison R. Nolan & Chadlin M. Ostrander & Ruoyu Sun & Ariel D. Anbar & Shuhai Xiao & Jiubin Chen, 2023. "Recurrent photic zone euxinia limited ocean oxygenation and animal evolution during the Ediacaran," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-10872-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.