A possible nitrogen crisis for Archaean life due to reduced nitrogen fixation by lightning

Navarro‐González, Rafael; McKay, Christopher P.; Nna-Mvondo, Delphine

doi:10.1038/35083537

Cited by 237 publications

(201 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Of these, CO 2 has a direct volcanic source, while elemental sulphur (as just discussed) and sulphate can form through the photolysis of SO 2 in the atmosphere. An early primary source of nitrate was also probably through the oxidation of N 2 by lightning (Yung & McElroy 1979;Navarro-González et al 2001). The electron donors and electron acceptors which become available as products of secondary anaerobic metabolisms are listed in table 3.…”

Section: Early Energy and Possible Community Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…We can identify a primary source of oxidized nitrogen (NO) from lightning (Yung & McElroy 1979;Navarro-González et al 2001) and of ammonia from the reduction of N 2 at high temperatures in mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal circulation systems (Brandes et al 1998a,b). In addition, there is the possibility of biological nitrogen fixation, fixing atmospheric N 2 to ammonia for use in biomolecules.…”

Section: Nitrogen-based Ecosystemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early anaerobic metabolisms

Canfield

Rosing

Bjerrum

2006

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

337

311

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Before the advent of oxygenic photosynthesis, the biosphere was driven by anaerobic metabolisms. We catalogue and quantify the source strengths of the most probable electron donors and electron acceptors that would have been available to fuel early-Earth ecosystems. The most active ecosystems were probably driven by the cycling of H 2 and Fe 2C through primary production conducted by anoxygenic phototrophs. Interesting and dynamic ecosystems would have also been driven by the microbial cycling of sulphur and nitrogen species, but their activity levels were probably not so great. Despite the diversity of potential early ecosystems, rates of primary production in the early-Earth anaerobic biosphere were probably well below those rates observed in the marine environment. We shift our attention to the Earth environment at 3.8 Gyr ago, where the earliest marine sediments are preserved. We calculate, consistent with the carbon isotope record and other considerations of the carbon cycle, that marine rates of primary production at this time were probably an order of magnitude (or more) less than today. We conclude that the flux of reduced species to the Earth surface at this time may have been sufficient to drive anaerobic ecosystems of sufficient activity to be consistent with the carbon isotope record. Conversely, an ecosystem based on oxygenic photosynthesis was also possible with complete removal of the oxygen by reaction with reduced species from the mantle.

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Section: Early Energy and Possible Community Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nitrogen-based Ecosystemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early anaerobic metabolisms

Canfield

Rosing

Bjerrum

2006

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

337

311

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“…It has previously been proposed that a diminishing supply of abiotically fixed nitrogen resulted in a "nitrogen crisis" in the Neoarchean and triggered the invention of the nitrogenase enzyme (Navarro-Gonzalez et al, 2001). It has further been suggested (Boyd et al, 2011b) that the first nitrogenase enzymes responsible for nitrogen fixation in the early biosphere were "proto-nitrogenases" ancestral to the current forms and thus not as specific or efficient at reducing unreactive N 2 to bioavailable NH 3 .…”

Section: Was There An Archean 'Nitrogen Crisis'?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

Stüeken

Kipp

Koehler

et al. 2016

Earth-Science Reviews

308

287

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Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all life on Earth and it acts as a major control on biological productivity in the modern ocean. Accurate reconstructions of the evolution of life over the course of the last four billion years therefore demand a better understanding of nitrogen bioavailability and speciation through time. The biogeochemical nitrogen cycle has evidently been closely tied to the redox state of the ocean and atmosphere. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that the Earth"s surface has passed in a non-linear fashion from an anoxic state in the Hadean to an oxic state in the later Phanerozoic. It is therefore likely that the nitrogen cycle has changed markedly over time, with potentially severe implications for the productivity and evolution of the biosphere. Here we compile nitrogen isotope data from the literature and review our current understanding of the evolution of the nitrogen cycle, with particular emphasis on the Precambrian. Combined with recent work on redox conditions, trace metal availability, sulfur and iron cycling on the early Earth, we then use the nitrogen isotope record as a platform to test existing and new hypotheses about biogeochemical pathways that may have controlled nitrogen availability through time. Among other things, we conclude that (a) abiotic nitrogen sources were likely insufficient to sustain a large biosphere, thus favoring an early origin of biological N 2 fixation, (b) evidence of nitrate in the Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic confirm current views of increasing surface oxygen levels at those times, (c) abundant ferrous iron and sulfide in the midPrecambrian ocean may have affected the speciation and size of the fixed nitrogen reservoir, and (d) nitrate availability alone was not a major driver of eukaryotic evolution.

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“…Also, Chameides et al [1979], in their simulations of the Venus atmosphere, report a yield of production of NO that is nearly 2 orders of magnitude below that of CO. In a laser plasma experiment made in a CO 2 -N 2 mix it is reported that for a mixing ratio of 0.98 the CO yield obtained is 200 times that of NO [Navarro-González et al, 2001]. Even though we could not measure the NO yield we can nevertheless estimate an upper limit for it at 1 × 10 16 molecules J −1 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Space charge effects and arc properties of simulated lightning on Venus

2011

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[1] An experimental investigation of the physical properties of lightning on Venus was carried out by applying fast impulses to a pressurized (1-2.8 atm) CO 2 -N 2 gas mix. The maximum current employed in the experiments was 2.8 kA. It was found that the pressure has a marked effect on the measured electric field. This effect is mostly due to negative ions created by electron attachment. This negative space charge could hamper breakdown on Venus if the clouds are negatively charged. Using a time-resolved spectroscopic technique, the instantaneous temperature of the arc was measured. This varies from 29,000 K soon after the arc appears to 14,000 K some 15 ms later. The arc's linear resistance and the power it dissipates were estimated using the Spitzer resistivity model and the measured temperatures. The linear resistance was found to be in the 17-233 W m −1 interval, which is comparable to the values of terrestrial lightning. The by-products of the discharge were analyzed using a mass analyzer, and it was found that the discharge decomposes the CO 2 into CO and O at similar rates. Our estimate of the CO yield is 2.7 × 10 18 molecules J −1 .Citation: Robledo-Martinez, A., H. Sobral, and A. Ruiz-Meza (2011), Space charge effects and arc properties of simulated lightning on Venus,

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A possible nitrogen crisis for Archaean life due to reduced nitrogen fixation by lightning

Cited by 237 publications

References 22 publications

Early anaerobic metabolisms

Early anaerobic metabolisms

The evolution of Earth's biogeochemical nitrogen cycle

Space charge effects and arc properties of simulated lightning on Venus

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