Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event
Abstract Phosphorus availability has influenced the co-evolution of life and Earth’s environments. While phosphate was likely the main phosphorus source for life during the Archean, phosphite (HPO3 2 −) gained importance leading up to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). However, the concentration of ph...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59963-0 |
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| author | Abu Saeed Baidya Joanne S. Boden Yuhao Li Albertus J. B. Smith Kurt O. Konhauser Eva E. Stüeken |
| author_facet | Abu Saeed Baidya Joanne S. Boden Yuhao Li Albertus J. B. Smith Kurt O. Konhauser Eva E. Stüeken |
| author_sort | Abu Saeed Baidya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Phosphorus availability has influenced the co-evolution of life and Earth’s environments. While phosphate was likely the main phosphorus source for life during the Archean, phosphite (HPO3 2 −) gained importance leading up to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). However, the concentration of phosphite in seawater at that time, and the processes driving this shift in P utilization, remain poorly constrained. Using lab experiments and phosphite data from banded iron formations (BIFs), we show that hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) preferentially remove phosphate over phosphite. This suggests that shallow seawater at the onset of the GOE could have contained up to 0.17 µM phosphite, comprising 5–88% of total dissolved inorganic phosphorus. We propose that phosphate depletion driven by HFO adsorption and microbial competition may have promoted the use of phosphite as an alternative P source. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c427d1d99fc94cadb8e7df34c19c5949 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-c427d1d99fc94cadb8e7df34c19c59492025-08-20T03:08:43ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-0116111210.1038/s41467-025-59963-0Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation EventAbu Saeed Baidya0Joanne S. Boden1Yuhao Li2Albertus J. B. Smith3Kurt O. Konhauser4Eva E. Stüeken5School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St. Andrews, StSchool of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St. Andrews, StDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Earth Sciences BuildingDSTI-NRF Cimera and PPM Research Group, Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Auckland ParkDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Earth Sciences BuildingSchool of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St. Andrews, StAbstract Phosphorus availability has influenced the co-evolution of life and Earth’s environments. While phosphate was likely the main phosphorus source for life during the Archean, phosphite (HPO3 2 −) gained importance leading up to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). However, the concentration of phosphite in seawater at that time, and the processes driving this shift in P utilization, remain poorly constrained. Using lab experiments and phosphite data from banded iron formations (BIFs), we show that hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) preferentially remove phosphate over phosphite. This suggests that shallow seawater at the onset of the GOE could have contained up to 0.17 µM phosphite, comprising 5–88% of total dissolved inorganic phosphorus. We propose that phosphate depletion driven by HFO adsorption and microbial competition may have promoted the use of phosphite as an alternative P source.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59963-0 |
| spellingShingle | Abu Saeed Baidya Joanne S. Boden Yuhao Li Albertus J. B. Smith Kurt O. Konhauser Eva E. Stüeken Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event Nature Communications |
| title | Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event |
| title_full | Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event |
| title_fullStr | Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event |
| title_short | Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event |
| title_sort | bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the great oxidation event |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59963-0 |
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