Oxidative metabolisms catalyzed Earth’s oxygenation
Name
s41467-022-28996-0.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.15 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
83589d68c0247f6c9dff9cd84fcd610e
Author(s)
Shang, Haitao
Rothman, Daniel H
Fournier, Gregory P
Date Issued
2022
Journal
Nature Communications
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Citation
Shang, Haitao, Rothman, Daniel H and Fournier, Gregory P. 2022. "Oxidative metabolisms catalyzed Earth’s oxygenation." Nature Communications, 13 (1).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
AbstractThe burial of organic carbon, which prevents its remineralization via oxygen-consuming processes, is considered one of the causes of Earth’s oxygenation. Yet, higher levels of oxygen are thought to inhibit burial. Here we propose a resolution of this conundrum, wherein Earth’s initial oxygenation is favored by oxidative metabolisms generating partially oxidized organic matter (POOM), increasing burial via interaction with minerals in sediments. First, we introduce the POOM hypothesis via a mathematical argument. Second, we reconstruct the evolutionary history of one key enzyme family, flavin-dependent Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenases, that generates POOM, and show the temporal consistency of its diversification with the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic atmospheric oxygenation. Finally, we propose that the expansion of oxidative metabolisms instigated a positive feedback, which was amplified by the chemical changes to minerals on Earth’s surface. Collectively, these results suggest that Earth’s oxygenation is an autocatalytic transition induced by a combination of biological innovations and geological changes.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/S41467-022-28996-0
