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Life: the first two billion years.

Andrew H Knoll1, Kristin D Bergmann2, Justin V Strauss3

  • 1Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA aknoll@oeb.harvard.edu.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|September 28, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Early life evolved in anoxic oceans, utilizing iron. The rise of oxygen later shifted microbial metabolisms, shaping modern marine ecosystems and bacterial diversity.

Keywords:
ArcheanProterozoiccarbon cyclemicrobial evolutionpalaeobiology

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Area of Science:

  • * Paleobiology and Geochemistry
  • * Microbial Evolution and Biogeochemical Cycles

Background:

  • * Proterozoic and Archean oceans provide substantial records of early bacterial life and biogeochemical cycles.
  • * Evidence suggests life existed by 3500 Ma, with early bacteria shaped by anoxic conditions and iron availability.
  • * The Archean era appears as Earth's first 'iron age,' with iron crucial for photosynthesis and respiration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To interpret the fossil and geochemical record of early bacterial life.
  • * To understand the influence of environmental conditions on microbial evolution.
  • * To trace the development of microbial ecosystems leading to modern marine environments.

Main Methods:

  • * Analysis of microfossils, stromatolites, preserved lipids, and isotopic ratios.
  • * Examination of sedimentological and biogeochemical evidence from Archean and Proterozoic rocks.
  • * Geochemical analysis to constrain early evolutionary pathways.

Main Results:

  • * Early bacteria evolved in anoxic environments with unique nutrient availability.
  • * Iron played a central role as an electron donor and acceptor, and as a cofactor.
  • * The permanent oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere and oceans around 2400 Ma altered microbial metabolisms.

Conclusions:

  • * The evolution of life was significantly influenced by early Earth's geochemistry, particularly iron.
  • * The rise of oxygen fundamentally changed microbial ecosystems and metabolic strategies.
  • * Modern marine ecosystems have their roots in the microbial changes occurring halfway through Earth's history.