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New Link Between The Evolution Of Complex Life Forms On Earth And
Nickel And Methane Gas
ScienceDaily (Apr. 9, 2009) — The Earth's original
atmosphere held very little oxygen. This began to
change around 2.4 billion years ago when oxygen
levels increased dramatically during what scientists
call the "Great Oxidation Event." The cause of this
event has puzzled scientists, but researchers
writing in Nature have found indications in ancient
sedimentary rocks that it may have been linked to a
drop in the level of dissolved nickel in seawater.
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"The Great Oxidation Event is what
irreversibly changed surface
environments on Earth and ultimately
made advanced life possible," says
research team member Dominic
Papineau of the Carnegie
Institution's Geophysical Laboratory.
"It was a major turning point in the
evolution of our planet, and we are
getting closer to understanding how
it occurred."
The researchers, led by Kurt
Konhauser of the University of
Alberta in Edmonton, analyzed the
trace element composition of
sedimentary rocks known as
banded-iron formations, or BIFs,
from dozens of different localities
around the world, ranging in age
from 3,800 to 550 million years. Banded iron formations are
unique, water-laid deposits often found in extremely old rock
strata that formed before the atmosphere or oceans contained
abundant oxygen. As their name implies, they are made of
alternating bands of iron and silicate minerals. They also
contain minor amounts of nickel and other trace elements.
Reference
Meteorite
Earth's atmosphere
Permian-Triassic
extinction event
Precambrian
Nickel exists in today's oceans in trace amounts, but was up to
400 times more abundant in the Earth's primordial oceans.
Methane-producing microorganisms, called methanogens,
thrive in such environments, and the methane they released to
the atmosphere might have prevented the buildup of oxygen
gas, which would have reacted with the methane to produce
carbon dioxide and water. A drop in nickel concentration would
have led to a "nickel famine" for the methanogens, who rely on
nickel-based enzymes for key metabolic processes. Algae and
other organisms that release oxygen during photosynthesis use
different enzymes, and so would have been less affected by
the nickel famine. As a result, atmospheric methane would
have declined, and the conditions for the rise of oxygen would
have been set in place.
The researchers found that nickel levels in the BIFs began
dropping around 2.7 billion years ago and by 2.5 billion years
ago was about half its earlier value. "The timing fits very well.
The drop in nickel could have set the stage for the Great
Oxidation Event," says Papineau. "And from what we know
about living methanogens, lower levels of nickel would have
severely cut back methane production."
What caused the drop in nickel? The researchers point to
geologic changes that were occurring during the interval.
During earlier phases of the Earth's history, while its mantle
was extremely hot, lavas from volcanic eruptions would have
been relatively high in nickel. Erosion would have washed the
nickel into the sea, keeping levels high. But as the mantle
cooled, and the chemistry of lavas changed, volcanoes spewed
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Banded iron formations like this from northern
Michigan contain evidence of a drop in dissolved
nickel in ancient oceans. (Credit: Image courtesy of
Carnegie Institution)
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New Link Between The Evolution Of Complex Life Forms On ...
out less nickel, and less would have found its way to the sea.
"The nickel connection was not something anyone had
considered before," says Papineau. "It's just a trace element in
seawater, but our study indicates that it may have had a huge
impact on the Earth's environment and on the history of life."
Dominic Papineau's research is supported by the NASA
Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology Program and from the
Fond québécois de la recherche sur la nature et les
technologies.
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090408145336.htm
pales in comparison with what happened as Earth
gave birth to its oxygen-containing atmosphere
billions of years ago. By analyzing clues contained
in rocks, scientists at the ... > read more
Volcanoes Key To Earth's Oxygen
Atmosphere (Sep. 3, 2007) — A
switch from predominantly undersea
volcanoes to a mix of undersea and
terrestrial ones shifted the Earth's atmosphere from
devoid of oxygen to one with free oxygen, according
to geologists. Before ... > read more
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Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by Carnegie Institution.
Journal Reference:
1. Konhauser et al. Oceanic nickel depletion and a
methanogen famine before the Great Oxidation Event.
Nature, 2009; 458 (7239): 750 DOI: 10.1038/nature07858
Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use
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Carnegie Institution (2009, April 9). New Link
Between The Evolution Of Complex Life Forms
On Earth And Nickel And Methane Gas.
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04
/090408145336.htm
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