Microbial N₂O Reduction in Sulfidic Waters: Implications for Proterozoic Oceans

Throughout Earth's history, shifts in ocean redox influenced the bioavailability of trace metals, shaping the activity of microorganisms. In Proterozoic oceans, the precipitation of copper (Cu) with sulfide was hypothesized to limit the bioavailability of Cu. This limitation may have suppressed microbial reduction of nitrous oxide (N₂O), due to the Cu dependency of nitrous oxide reductase (Nos). It is thought that without this critical microbial sink, Proterozoic oceans were a significant net source of N₂O. Here, we revisit this paradigm in light of recently derived ~20-fold lower estimates for sulfide in Proterozoic seawater and an empirical evaluation of the potential for microbial N₂O reduction under sulfidic conditions. Leveraging publicly available environmental metatranscriptomes, we infer active N₂O reduction from the detection of nosZ transcripts in multiple marine and lacustrine systems in which sulfide and Cu concentrations are analogous to those of the Proterozoic. In controlled culture experiments, we demonstrate that the purple non-sulfur bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris can reduce N₂O at sulfide concentrations up to 50 μM, well above levels predicted for Proterozoic oceans. Based on trace metal speciation modeling, we suggest that Cu remains bioavailable under Proterozoic-like conditions as a dissolved CuHS⁰ complex. Collectively, these observations suggest microbial N₂O reduction occurs under euxinic conditions, implying that Proterozoic marine N₂O emissions were lower than previously proposed. Our conclusions inform our understanding of the microbial ecology in sulfidic waters, the early climate, and the search for extraterrestrial life.