scholarly journals Insights into the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis from a phylogenetically novel, low-light cyanobacterium

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christen L. Grettenberger ◽  
Dawn Y. Sumner ◽  
Kate Wall ◽  
C. Titus Brown ◽  
Jonathan Eisen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Oxygen ◽  
Evolutionary Model ◽  
Reaction Centers ◽  
Oxygenic Photosynthesis ◽  
Oxygen Production ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Extrinsic Proteins ◽  
Structural Parts ◽  
Life On Earth

AbstractAtmospheric oxygen level rose dramatically around 2.4 billion years ago due to oxygenic photosynthesis by the Cyanobacteria. The oxidation of surface environments permanently changed the future of life on Earth, yet the evolutionary processes leading to oxygen production are poorly constrained. Partial records of these evolutionary steps are preserved in the genomes of organisms phylogenetically placed between non-photosynthetic Melainabacteria, crown-group Cyanobacteria, and Gloeobacter, representing the earliest-branching Cyanobacteria capable of oxygenic photosynthesis. Here, we describe nearly complete, metagenome assembled genomes of an uncultured organism phylogenetically placed between the Melainabacteria and crown-group Cyanobacteria, for which we propose the name Candidatus Aurora vandensis {au.rora Latin noun dawn and vand.ensis, originating from Vanda}.The metagenome assembled genome of A. vandensis contains homologs of most genes necessary for oxygenic photosynthesis including key reaction center proteins. Many extrinsic proteins associated with the photosystems in other species are, however, missing or poorly conserved. The assembled genome also lacks homologs of genes associated with the pigments phycocyanoerethrin, phycoeretherin and several structural parts of the phycobilisome. Based on the content of the genome, we propose an evolutionary model for increasing efficiency of oxygenic photosynthesis through the evolution of extrinsic proteins to stabilize photosystem II and I reaction centers and improve photon capture. This model suggests that the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis may have significantly preceded oxidation of Earth’s atmosphere due to low net oxygen production by early Cyanobacteria.

scholarly journals When did oxygenic photosynthesis evolve?

2008 ◽  
Vol 363 (1504) ◽  
pp. 2731-2743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Buick
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Oxygen ◽  
Sedimentary Rocks ◽  
Reducing Power ◽  
Oxygenic Photosynthesis ◽  
Oxygen Production ◽  
Sulphur Isotope ◽  
Great Oxidation Event ◽  
Hydrocarbon Biomarkers ◽  
Photosynthetic Oxygen ◽  
Isotope Systematics

The atmosphere has apparently been oxygenated since the ‘Great Oxidation Event’ ca 2.4 Ga ago, but when the photosynthetic oxygen production began is debatable. However, geological and geochemical evidence from older sedimentary rocks indicates that oxygenic photosynthesis evolved well before this oxygenation event. Fluid-inclusion oils in ca 2.45 Ga sandstones contain hydrocarbon biomarkers evidently sourced from similarly ancient kerogen, preserved without subsequent contamination, and derived from organisms producing and requiring molecular oxygen. Mo and Re abundances and sulphur isotope systematics of slightly older (2.5 Ga) kerogenous shales record a transient pulse of atmospheric oxygen. As early as ca 2.7 Ga, stromatolites and biomarkers from evaporative lake sediments deficient in exogenous reducing power strongly imply that oxygen-producing cyanobacteria had already evolved. Even at ca 3.2 Ga, thick and widespread kerogenous shales are consistent with aerobic photoautrophic marine plankton, and U–Pb data from ca 3.8 Ga metasediments suggest that this metabolism could have arisen by the start of the geological record. Hence, the hypothesis that oxygenic photosynthesis evolved well before the atmosphere became permanently oxygenated seems well supported.

Phanerozoic Oxygen

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Eugene Canfield
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Atmospheric Oxygen ◽  
Sea Level Change ◽  
Oxygen Production ◽  
Level Change ◽  
History Of ◽  
Geologic Processes

This chapter discusses the modeling of the history of atmospheric oxygen. The most recently deposited sediments will also be the most prone to weathering through processes like sea-level change or uplift of the land. Thus, through rapid recycling, high rates of oxygen production through the burial of organic-rich sediments will quickly lead to high rates of oxygen consumption through the exposure of these organic-rich sediments to weathering. From a modeling perspective, rapid recycling helps to dampen oxygen changes. This is important because the fluxes of oxygen through the atmosphere during organic carbon and pyrite burial, and by weathering, are huge compared to the relatively small amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere. Thus, all of the oxygen in the present atmosphere is cycled through geologic processes of oxygen liberation (organic carbon and pyrite burial) and consumption (weathering) on a time scale of about 2 to 3 million years.

Global biosphere primary productivity over the last 800,000 years reconstructed from the triple-isotope composition of dioxygen trapped in polar ice cores

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji-Woong Yang ◽  
Amaëlle Landais ◽  
Margaux Brandon ◽  
Thomas Blunier ◽  
Frédéric Prié ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Atmospheric Oxygen ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Oxygenic Photosynthesis ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Polar Ice ◽  
Future Evolution ◽  
Glacial Stage ◽  
Glacial Periods

<p>The primary production, or oxygenic photosynthesis of the global biosphere, is one of the main source and sink of atmospheric oxygen (O<sub>2</sub>) and carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), respectively. There has been a growing number of evidence that global gross primary productivity (GPP) varies in response to climate change. It is therefore important to understand the climate- and/or environment controls of the global biosphere primary productivity for better predicting the future evolution of biosphere carbon uptake. The triple-isotope composition of O<sub>2</sub> (Δ<sup>17</sup>O of O<sub>2</sub>) trapped in polar ice cores allows us to trace the past changes of global biosphere primary productivity as far back as 800,000 years before present (800 ka). Previously available Δ<sup>17</sup>O of O<sub>2</sub> records over the last ca. 450 ka show relatively low and high global biosphere productivity over the last five glacial and interglacial intervals respectively, with a unique pattern over Termination V (TV) - Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 11, as biosphere productivity at the end of TV is ~ 20 % higher than the four younger ones (Blunier et al., 2012; Brandon et al., 2020). However, questions remain on (1) whether the concomitant changes of global biosphere productivity and CO<sub>2</sub> were the pervasive feature of glacial periods over the last 800 ka, and (2) whether the global biosphere productivity during the “lukewarm” interglacials before the Mid-Brunhes Event (MBE) were lower than those after the MBE.<br>Here, we present an extended composite record of Δ<sup>17</sup>O of O<sub>2</sub> covering the last 800 ka, based on new Δ<sup>17</sup>O of O<sub>2</sub> results from the EPICA Dome C and reconstruct the evolution of global biosphere productivity over that time interval using the independent box models of Landais et al. (2007) and Blunier et al. (2012). We find that the glacial productivity minima occurred nearly synchronously with the glacial CO<sub>2</sub> minima at mid-glacial stage; interestingly millennia before the sea level reaches their minima. Following the mid-glacial minima, we also show slight productivity increases at the full-glacial stages, before deglacial productivity rises. Comparison of reconstructed interglacial productivity demonstrates a slightly higher productivity over the post-MBE (MISs 1, 5, 7, 9, and 11) than pre-MBE ones (MISs 13, 15, 17, and 19). However, the mean difference between post- and pre-MBE interglacials largely depends on the box model used for productivity reconstruction.</p>

Interactions entre mitochondries et chloroplastes dans la cellule. II. Action du DBMIB, de l'antimycine A et du FCCP sur la spore de Funaria hygrometrica

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (12) ◽  
pp. 1650-1659 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Chevallier ◽  
R. Douce ◽  
F. Nurit
Keyword(s):  
Cytochrome Oxidase ◽  
Dark Respiration ◽  
High Light ◽  
Light Conditions ◽  
Oxygen Production ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Funaria Hygrometrica ◽  
Light Intensities

The effect of DBMIB, antimycine A, and FCCP on respiration and photosynthesis of intact chlorophyllic moss (Funaria hygrometrica) spore was investigated.Antimycine A (1 μM) strongly inhibited dark respiration, was without effect on photosynthesis at high light intensities (above the saturation plateau values), and stimulated photosynthesis at low light intensities (below the saturation plateau values).DBMIB (3 μM) inhibited photosynthesis and was without effect, even under light conditions, on the dark respiration. Low amount of FCCP (3 μM) partially inhibited oxygen production at high light intensities. In this case, the inhibition observed was partially relieved by 1 μM antimycine A or 30 μM of KCN; higher concentration of FCCP totally inhibited the oxygen production.It seems likely, therefore, that in the chlorophyllic moss spore the cytochrome oxidase pathway is not functioning under high light intensities and that this inhibition of respiration is attributable to the low cytoplasmic ADP:ATP ratio.

scholarly journals Light’s interaction with pigments in chloroplasts: The murburn perspective, with special relevance to carotenoids

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelath Murali Manoj ◽  
Afsal Manekkathodi
Keyword(s):  
Light Harvesting ◽  
Reaction Centers ◽  
Oxygenic Photosynthesis ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Light Harvesting Complexes ◽  
Light Reaction ◽  
Historical Perspectives ◽  
Electron Emitters ◽  
Theoretical Foundations ◽  
Special Relevance

The prevailing understanding on photolytic photophosphorylation, the light reaction of oxygenic photosynthesis, considers the vast majority of the diverse pigments, chlorophyll binding proteins (CBPs) and light harvesting complexes (LHCs) as photon-energy relaying facets; only the two photosystems’ (PS) reaction centers’ chlorophyll a couplets are deemed to serve as photo-excitable electron emitters. Highlighting the historical perspectives involved, we present reasons why this conventional perception is unmet by theoretical foundations, unsupported by molecular awareness on the various pigments and unverified by physiological data available on chloroplasts. Further, we propose a simple diffusible reactive oxygen species (DROS)-based mechanism for correlating the functions of various light harvesting LHCs and CBPs with the reaction centers of PS I & II.

scholarly journals Looking for life elsewhere: Photosynthesis and astrobiology

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 24-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Y. Kiang
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Atmospheric Oxygen ◽  
Oxygenic Photosynthesis ◽  
Spectral Features ◽  
Reaction Centre ◽  
Absorbance Spectrum ◽  
Stellar Spectrum ◽  
Chl A ◽  
Photosynthetic Organisms

Photosynthesis produces signs of life we can see from space: the absorbance spectrum of surface photosynthetic pigments and, with oxygenic photosynthesis, atmospheric oxygen. Since the first discovery of a planet in another solar system in 1989, there has been an explosion in the detection of exoplanets (over 1849 as of 7 November 2014) and we are getting ever closer to finding that Goldilocks planet that might harbour life. With telescope observations of these planets, oxygenic photosynthesis has been considered our most robust target ‘biosignature’ that would not appear on a lifeless planet. Since anoxygenic photosynthetic organisms do not produce unambiguously biogenic gases, there is interest in their pigments serving as spectral indicators of life. But will they look the same as on Earth, can we distinguish them from the abiotic, and what will dominate on another planet? Examples from Earth provide us with the potential to extrapolate some rules for photosynthesis to predict its signature on another planet, but there are yet things we must answer about life here to improve our confidence. In particular, given the combination of the available stellar spectrum and molecular constraints on photon energy use, can we predict the pigment spectral features that will dominate, which reductant will match, and what biogenic gases would result? We take clues from the diversity of anoxygenic photosynthetic metabolisms and three very recent examples of oxygenic photosynthesis utilizing other reaction centre (RC) chlorophylls in addition to chlorophyll a (Chl a).

scholarly journals Revisiting the early evolution of Cyanobacteria with a new thylakoid-less and deeply diverged isolate from a hornwort

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasim Rahmatpour ◽  
Duncan A. Hauser ◽  
Jessica M. Nelson ◽  
Pa Yu Chen ◽  
Juan Carlos Villarreal A. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clock Genes ◽  
Atmospheric Oxygen ◽  
Carotenoid Biosynthesis ◽  
Oxygenic Photosynthesis ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Gene Sets ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Circadian Clock Genes ◽  
Carotenoid Biosynthesis Pathway

SummaryCyanobacteria have played pivotal roles in Earth’s geological history especially during the rise of atmospheric oxygen. However, our ability to infer the early transitions in Cyanobacteria evolution has been limited by their extremely lopsided tree of life—the vast majority of extant diversity belongs to Phycobacteria (or “crown Cyanobacteria”), while its sister lineage, Gloeobacteria, is depauperate and contains only two closely related species of Gloeobacter and a metagenome-assembled genome. Here we describe a new culturable member of Gloeobacteria, Anthocerobacter panamensis, isolated from a tropical hornwort. Anthocerobacter diverged from Gloeobacter over 1.4 billion years ago and has low 16S identities with environmental samples. Our ultrastructural, physiological, and genomic analyses revealed that this species possesses a unique combination of traits that are exclusively shared with either Gloeobacteria or Phycobacteria. For example, similar to Gloeobacter, it lacks thylakoids and circadian clock genes, but the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway is typical of Phycobacteria. Furthermore, Anthocerobacter has one of the most reduced gene sets for photosystems and phycobilisomes among Cyanobacteria. Despite this, Anthocerobacter is capable of oxygenic photosynthesis under a wide range of light intensities, albeit with much less efficiency. Given its key phylogenetic position, distinct trait combination, and availability as a culture, Anthocerobacter opens a new window to further illuminate the dawn of oxygenic photosynthesis.

scholarly journals Oxygen and environmental stress in plants - an overview

1994 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. F. Hendry ◽  
R. M. M. Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Narrow Band ◽  
Atmospheric Oxygen ◽  
Recent Event ◽  
Radio Emissions ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Galileo Satellite ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Intelligent Life

The Galileo satellite during its recent passes close to the Earth recorded a planet with an unusual red-absorbing pigment, a poisonous atmosphere, simultaneously rich in oxygen and in methane, with strong, modulated, narrow-band, radio emissions in the MHz frequencies (Sagan et al. 1993). To an observer visiting the solar system, these features; the photo-oxidisable pigment chlorophyll, abundant atmospheric oxygen, the existence of reducing conditions and intelligent life might well appear self-contradictory. While intelligent life is a recent event, the presence of other forms of life based on photosynthesis and survival under both oxygen-rich atmospheres and reducing conditions go back to the earliest times (Table 1). Life on Earth has evolved over nearly 4 G years under atmospheric environments ranging from anoxia, to hypoxia, to hyperoxia (relative to the present day), and not always in that sequence.

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