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Lynes MM, Jay ZJ, Kohtz AJ, Hatzenpichler R. Methylotrophic methanogenesis in the Archaeoglobi revealed by cultivation of Ca. Methanoglobus hypatiae from a Yellowstone hot spring. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae026. [PMID: 38452205 PMCID: PMC10945360 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Over the past decade, environmental metagenomics and polymerase chain reaction-based marker gene surveys have revealed that several lineages beyond just a few well-established groups within the Euryarchaeota superphylum harbor the genetic potential for methanogenesis. One of these groups are the Archaeoglobi, a class of thermophilic Euryarchaeota that have long been considered to live non-methanogenic lifestyles. Here, we enriched Candidatus Methanoglobus hypatiae, a methanogen affiliated with the family Archaeoglobaceae, from a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. The enrichment is sediment-free, grows at 64-70°C and a pH of 7.8, and produces methane from mono-, di-, and tri-methylamine. Ca. M. hypatiae is represented by a 1.62 Mb metagenome-assembled genome with an estimated completeness of 100% and accounts for up to 67% of cells in the culture according to fluorescence in situ hybridization. Via genome-resolved metatranscriptomics and stable isotope tracing, we demonstrate that Ca. M. hypatiae expresses methylotrophic methanogenesis and energy-conserving pathways for reducing monomethylamine to methane. The detection of Archaeoglobi populations related to Ca. M. hypatiae in 36 geochemically diverse geothermal sites within Yellowstone National Park, as revealed through the examination of previously published gene amplicon datasets, implies a previously underestimated contribution to anaerobic carbon cycling in extreme ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie M Lynes
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Anthony J Kohtz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
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2
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Crockford PW, Bar On YM, Ward LM, Milo R, Halevy I. The geologic history of primary productivity. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4741-4750.e5. [PMID: 37827153 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
The rate of primary productivity is a keystone variable in driving biogeochemical cycles today and has been throughout Earth's past.1 For example, it plays a critical role in determining nutrient stoichiometry in the oceans,2 the amount of global biomass,3 and the composition of Earth's atmosphere.4 Modern estimates suggest that terrestrial and marine realms contribute near-equal amounts to global gross primary productivity (GPP).5 However, this productivity balance has shifted significantly in both recent times6 and through deep time.7,8 Combining the marine and terrestrial components, modern GPP fixes ≈250 billion tonnes of carbon per year (Gt C year-1).5,9,10,11 A grand challenge in the study of the history of life on Earth has been to constrain the trajectory that connects present-day productivity to the origin of life. Here, we address this gap by piecing together estimates of primary productivity from the origin of life to the present day. We estimate that ∼1011-1012 Gt C has cumulatively been fixed through GPP (≈100 times greater than Earth's entire carbon stock). We further estimate that 1039-1040 cells have occupied the Earth to date, that more autotrophs than heterotrophs have ever existed, and that cyanobacteria likely account for a larger proportion than any other group in terms of the number of cells. We discuss implications for evolutionary trajectories and highlight the early Proterozoic, which encompasses the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), as the time where most uncertainty exists regarding the quantitative census presented here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter W Crockford
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada; Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel; Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
| | - Yinon M Bar On
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel; Division of Geological Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Luce M Ward
- Department of Geosciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
| | - Ron Milo
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Itay Halevy
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
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3
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Heubeck C, Reimann S, Homann M. Stromatolite-like Structures Within Microbially Laminated Sandstones of the Paleoarchean Moodies Group, Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:926-935. [PMID: 37527187 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
We report abundant small calcareous mounds associated with fossilized kerogenous microbial mats in tidal-facies sandstones of the predominantly siliciclastic Moodies Group (ca. 3.22 Ga) of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), South Africa and Eswatini. Most of the bulbous, internally microlaminated mounds are several centimeters in diameter and formed at the sediment-water interface contemporaneously with sedimentation. They originally consisted of Fe-Mg-Mn carbonate, which is now largely silicified; subtle internal compositional laminations are composed of organic matter and sericite. Their presence for >6 km along strike, their restriction to the inferred photic zone, and the internal structure suggest that mineral precipitation was induced by photosynthetic microorganisms. Similar calcareous mounds in this unit also occur within and on top of fluid-escape conduits, suggesting that carbonate precipitation may either have occurred abiogenically or involved chemotrophic metabolism(s) utilizing the oxidation of organic matter, methane, or hydrogen, the latter possibly generated by serpentinization of underlying ultramafic rocks. Alternatively or additionally, carbonate may have precipitated abiotically where heated subsurface fluids, sourced by the intrusion of a major Moodies-age sill, reached the tidal flats. In summary, precipitation mechanisms may have been variable; the calcareous mounds may represent "hybrid carbonates" that may have originated from the small-scale overlap of bioinduced and abiotic processes in space and time. Significantly, the widespread occurrence of these stromatolite-like structures in a fully siliciclastic, high-energy tidal setting broadens search criteria in the search for life on Mars while their possible hybrid origin challenges our ability to unambiguously identify a biogenic component.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Heubeck
- Department of Geosciences, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany
| | - S Reimann
- Department of Geosciences, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany
| | - M Homann
- University College London, London, UK
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4
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Wang J, Qu YN, Evans PN, Guo Q, Zhou F, Nie M, Jin Q, Zhang Y, Zhai X, Zhou M, Yu Z, Fu QL, Xie YG, Hedlund BP, Li WJ, Hua ZS, Wang Z, Wang Y. Evidence for nontraditional mcr-containing archaea contributing to biological methanogenesis in geothermal springs. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg6004. [PMID: 37379385 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg6004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Recent discoveries of methyl-coenzyme M reductase-encoding genes (mcr) in uncultured archaea beyond traditional euryarchaeotal methanogens have reshaped our view of methanogenesis. However, whether any of these nontraditional archaea perform methanogenesis remains elusive. Here, we report field and microcosm experiments based on 13C-tracer labeling and genome-resolved metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, revealing that nontraditional archaea are predominant active methane producers in two geothermal springs. Archaeoglobales performed methanogenesis from methanol and may exhibit adaptability in using methylotrophic and hydrogenotrophic pathways based on temperature/substrate availability. A five-year field survey found Candidatus Nezhaarchaeota to be the predominant mcr-containing archaea inhabiting the springs; genomic inference and mcr expression under methanogenic conditions strongly suggested that this lineage mediated hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis in situ. Methanogenesis was temperature-sensitive , with a preference for methylotrophic over hydrogenotrophic pathways when incubation temperatures increased from 65° to 75°C. This study demonstrates an anoxic ecosystem wherein methanogenesis is primarily driven by archaea beyond known methanogens, highlighting diverse nontraditional mcr-containing archaea as previously unrecognized methane sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajia Wang
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yan-Ni Qu
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Paul N Evans
- The Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Qinghai Guo
- MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Quality and Health, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
| | - Fengwu Zhou
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
- College of Geography Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Ming Nie
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science and Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
- National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Qusheng Jin
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Yan Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science and Institute of Eco-Chongming, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Xiangmei Zhai
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Ming Zhou
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Zhiguo Yu
- School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Qing-Long Fu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Quality and Health, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
| | - Yuan-Guo Xie
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Brian P Hedlund
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
- Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
| | - Wen-Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Zheng-Shuang Hua
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Zimeng Wang
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
- National Observations and Research Station for Wetland Ecosystems of the Yangtze Estuary, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yanxin Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Quality and Health, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430078, China
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5
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Bueno de Mesquita CP, Wu D, Tringe SG. Methyl-Based Methanogenesis: an Ecological and Genomic Review. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2023; 87:e0002422. [PMID: 36692297 PMCID: PMC10029344 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00024-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Methyl-based methanogenesis is one of three broad categories of archaeal anaerobic methanogenesis, including both the methyl dismutation (methylotrophic) pathway and the methyl-reducing (also known as hydrogen-dependent methylotrophic) pathway. Methyl-based methanogenesis is increasingly recognized as an important source of methane in a variety of environments. Here, we provide an overview of methyl-based methanogenesis research, including the conditions under which methyl-based methanogenesis can be a dominant source of methane emissions, experimental methods for distinguishing different pathways of methane production, molecular details of the biochemical pathways involved, and the genes and organisms involved in these processes. We also identify the current gaps in knowledge and present a genomic and metagenomic survey of methyl-based methanogenesis genes, highlighting the diversity of methyl-based methanogens at multiple taxonomic levels and the widespread distribution of known methyl-based methanogenesis genes and families across different environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dongying Wu
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Susannah G. Tringe
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
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6
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Yin Q, Sun Y, Li B, Feng Z, Wu G. The r/K selection theory and its application in biological wastewater treatment processes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 824:153836. [PMID: 35176382 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the characteristics of functional organisms is the key to managing and updating biological processes for wastewater treatment. This review, for the first time, systematically characterized two typical types of strategists in wastewater treatment ecosystems via the r/K selection theory and provided novel strategies for selectively enriching microbial community. Functional organisms involved in nitrification (e.g., Nitrosomonas and Nitrosococcus), anammox (Candidatus Brocadia), and methanogenesis (Methanosarcinaceae) are identified as r-strategists with fast growth capacities and low substrate affinities. These r-strategists can achieve high pollutant removal loading rates. On the other hand, other organisms such as Nitrosospira spp., Candidatus Kuenenia, and Methanosaetaceae, are characterized as K-strategists with slow growth rates but high substrate affinities, which can decrease the pollutant concentration to low levels. More importantly, K-strategists may play crucial roles in the biodegradation of recalcitrant organic pollutants. The food-to-microorganism ratio, mass transfer, cell size, and biomass morphology are the key factors determining the selection of r-/K-strategists. These factors can be related with operating parameters (e.g., solids and hydraulic retention time), biomass morphology (biofilm or granules), and operating modes (continuous-flow or sequencing batch), etc., to achieve the efficient acclimation of targeted r-/K-strategists. For practical applications, the concept of substrate flux was put forward to further benefit the selective enrichment of r-/K-strategists, fulfilling effective management and improvement of engineered pollution control bioprocesses. Finally, the future perspectives regarding the development of the r/K selection theory in wastewater treatment processes were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qidong Yin
- College of Science and Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland; Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuepeng Sun
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Ashburn, VA 20147, United States
| | - Bo Li
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, United States
| | - Zhaolu Feng
- Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, China
| | - Guangxue Wu
- College of Science and Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.
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7
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Abstract
Astronomers will soon begin searching for biosignatures, atmospheric gases or surface features produced by life, on potentially habitable planets. Since methane is the only biosignature that the James Webb Space Telescope could readily detect in terrestrial atmospheres, it is imperative to understand methane biosignatures to contextualize these upcoming observations. We explore the necessary planetary context for methane to be a persuasive biosignature and assess whether, and in what planetary environments, abiotic sources of methane could result in false-positive scenarios. With these results, we provide a tentative framework for assessing methane biosignatures. If life is abundant in the universe, then with the correct planetary context, atmospheric methane may be the first detectable indication of life beyond Earth. Methane has been proposed as an exoplanet biosignature. Imminent observations with the James Webb Space Telescope may enable methane detections on potentially habitable exoplanets, so it is essential to assess in what planetary contexts methane is a compelling biosignature. Methane’s short photochemical lifetime in terrestrial planet atmospheres implies that abundant methane requires large replenishment fluxes. While methane can be produced by a variety of abiotic mechanisms such as outgassing, serpentinizing reactions, and impacts, we argue that—in contrast to an Earth-like biosphere—known abiotic processes cannot easily generate atmospheres rich in CH4 and CO2 with limited CO due to the strong redox disequilibrium between CH4 and CO2. Methane is thus more likely to be biogenic for planets with 1) a terrestrial bulk density, high mean-molecular-weight and anoxic atmosphere, and an old host star; 2) an abundance of CH4 that implies surface fluxes exceeding what could be supplied by abiotic processes; and 3) atmospheric CO2 with comparatively little CO.
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8
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Wang Y, Xie R, Hou J, Lv Z, Li L, Hu Y, Huang H, Wang F. The late Archaean to early Proterozoic origin and evolution of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea. MLIFE 2022; 1:96-100. [PMID: 38818328 PMCID: PMC10989977 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Microorganisms, called anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME), can reduce a large amount of greenhouse gas methane and therefore have the potential to cool the Earth. We collected nearly all ANMEs genomes in public databases and performed a comprehensive comparative genomic analysis and molecular dating. Our results show that ANMEs originated in the late Archaean to early Proterozoic eon. During this period of time, our planet Earth was experiencing the Great Oxygenation Event and Huronian Glaciation, a dramatic drop in the Earth's surface temperature. This suggests that the emergence of ANMEs may contribute to the reduction of methane at that time, which is an unappreciated potential cause that led to the Huronian Glaciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinzhao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ruize Xie
- School of OceanographyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Jialin Hou
- School of OceanographyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Zhenbo Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Liuyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yaoxun Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Hungchia Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Fengping Wang
- School of OceanographyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai)ZhuhaiChina
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9
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Kokko H. The stagnation paradox: the ever-improving but (more or less) stationary population fitness. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20212145. [PMID: 34784767 PMCID: PMC8596016 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fisher's fundamental theorem states that natural selection improves mean fitness. Fitness, in turn, is often equated with population growth. This leads to an absurd prediction that life evolves to ever-faster growth rates, yet no one seriously claims generally slower population growth rates in the Triassic compared with the present day. I review here, using non-technical language, how fitness can improve yet stay constant (stagnation paradox), and why an unambiguous measure of population fitness does not exist. Subfields use different terminology for aspects of the paradox, referring to stasis, cryptic evolution or the difficulty of choosing an appropriate fitness measure; known resolutions likewise use diverse terms from environmental feedback to density dependence and ‘evolutionary environmental deterioration’. The paradox vanishes when these concepts are understood, and adaptation can lead to declining reproductive output of a population when individuals can improve their fitness by exploiting conspecifics. This is particularly readily observable when males participate in a zero-sum game over paternity and population output depends more strongly on female than male fitness. Even so, the jury is still out regarding the effect of sexual conflict on population fitness. Finally, life-history theory and genetic studies of microevolutionary change could pay more attention to each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Kokko
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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10
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Wang Y, Wegener G, Williams TA, Xie R, Hou J, Tian C, Zhang Y, Wang F, Xiao X. A methylotrophic origin of methanogenesis and early divergence of anaerobic multicarbon alkane metabolism. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabj1453. [PMID: 34215592 PMCID: PMC11057702 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj1453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Methanogens are considered as one of the earliest life forms on Earth, and together with anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea, they have crucial effects on climate stability. However, the origin and evolution of anaerobic alkane metabolism in the domain Archaea remain controversial. Here, we present evidence that methylotrophic methanogenesis was the ancestral form of this metabolism. Carbon dioxide-reducing methanogenesis developed later through the evolution of tetrahydromethanopterin S-methyltransferase, which linked methanogenesis to the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway for energy conservation. Anaerobic multicarbon alkane metabolisms in Archaea also originated early, with genes coding for the activation of short-chain or even long-chain alkanes likely evolving from an ethane-metabolizing ancestor. These genes were likely horizontally transferred to multiple archaeal clades including Candidatus (Ca) Bathyarchaeia, Ca. Lokiarchaeia, Ca. Hadarchaeia, and the methanogenic Ca. Methanoliparia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinzhao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
| | - Gunter Wegener
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Tom A Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1TH Bristol, UK
| | - Ruize Xie
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jialin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Chen Tian
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Fengping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiang Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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11
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Krissansen-Totton J, Kipp MA, Catling DC. Carbon cycle inverse modeling suggests large changes in fractional organic burial are consistent with the carbon isotope record and may have contributed to the rise of oxygen. GEOBIOLOGY 2021; 19:342-363. [PMID: 33764615 PMCID: PMC8359855 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Abundant geologic evidence shows that atmospheric oxygen levels were negligible until the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) at 2.4-2.1 Ga. The burial of organic matter is balanced by the release of oxygen, and if the release rate exceeds efficient oxygen sinks, atmospheric oxygen can accumulate until limited by oxidative weathering. The organic burial rate relative to the total carbon burial rate can be inferred from the carbon isotope record in sedimentary carbonates and organic matter, which provides a proxy for the oxygen source flux through time. Because there are no large secular trends in the carbon isotope record over time, it is commonly assumed that the oxygen source flux changed only modestly. Therefore, declines in oxygen sinks have been used to explain the GOE. However, the average isotopic value of carbon fluxes into the atmosphere-ocean system can evolve due to changing proportions of weathering and outgassing inputs. If so, large secular changes in organic burial would be possible despite unchanging carbon isotope values in sedimentary rocks. Here, we present an inverse analysis using a self-consistent carbon cycle model to determine the maximum change in organic burial since ~4 Ga allowed by the carbon isotope record and other geological proxies. We find that fractional organic burial may have increased by 2-5 times since the Archean. This happens because O2 -dependent continental weathering of 13 C-depleted organics changes carbon isotope inputs to the atmosphere-ocean system. This increase in relative organic burial is consistent with an anoxic-to-oxic atmospheric transition around 2.4 Ga without declining oxygen sinks, although these likely contributed. Moreover, our inverse analysis suggests that the Archean absolute organic burial flux was comparable to modern, implying high organic burial efficiency and ruling out very low Archean primary productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Krissansen-Totton
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences/Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory, NASA Nexus for Exoplanet System Science, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Kipp
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences/Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory, NASA Nexus for Exoplanet System Science, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - David C Catling
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences/Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory, NASA Nexus for Exoplanet System Science, Seattle, WA, USA
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12
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Wang Y, Wegener G, Williams TA, Xie R, Hou J, Wang F, Xiao X. A methylotrophic origin of methanogenesis and early divergence of anaerobic multicarbon alkane metabolism. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabd7180. [PMID: 33568477 PMCID: PMC7875538 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd7180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Methanogens are considered as one of the earliest life forms on Earth, and together with anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea, they have crucial effects on climate stability. Yet, the origin and evolution of anaerobic alkane metabolism in the domain Archaea remain controversial. Here, we show that methanogenesis was already present in the common ancestor of Euryarchaeota, TACK archaea, and Asgard archaea likely in the late Hadean or early Archean eon and that the ancestral methanogen was dependent on methylated compounds and hydrogen. Carbon dioxide-reducing methanogenesis developed later through the evolution of tetrahydromethanopterin S-methyltransferase, which linked methanogenesis to the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway for energy conservation. Multicarbon alkane metabolisms in Archaea also originated early, with genes coding for the activation of short- or even long-chain alkanes likely evolving from an ethane-metabolizing ancestor. These genes were likely horizontally transferred to multiple archaeal clades including Candidatus (Ca) Bathyarchaeota, Ca. Helarchaeota, Ca Hadesarchaeota, and the methanogenic Ca. Methanoliparia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinzhao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
| | - Gunter Wegener
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Tom A Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1TH Bristol, UK
| | - Ruize Xie
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jialin Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Fengping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiang Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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13
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Roland FAE, Borges AV, Darchambeau F, Llirós M, Descy JP, Morana C. The possible occurrence of iron-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation in an Archean Ocean analogue. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1597. [PMID: 33452366 PMCID: PMC7810693 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81210-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In the ferruginous and anoxic early Earth oceans, photoferrotrophy drove most of the biological production before the advent of oxygenic photosynthesis, but its association with ferric iron (Fe3+) dependent anaerobic methane (CH4) oxidation (AOM) has been poorly investigated. We studied AOM in Kabuno Bay, a modern analogue to the Archean Ocean (anoxic bottom waters and dissolved Fe concentrations > 600 µmol L-1). Aerobic and anaerobic CH4 oxidation rates up to 0.12 ± 0.03 and 51 ± 1 µmol L-1 d-1, respectively, were put in evidence. In the Fe oxidation-reduction zone, we observed high concentration of Bacteriochlorophyll e (biomarker of the anoxygenic photoautotrophs), which co-occurred with the maximum CH4 oxidation peaks, and a high abundance of Candidatus Methanoperedens, which can couple AOM to Fe3+ reduction. In addition, comparison of measured CH4 oxidation rates with electron acceptor fluxes suggest that AOM could mainly rely on Fe3+ produced by photoferrotrophs. Further experiments specifically targeted to investigate the interactions between photoferrotrophs and AOM would be of considerable interest. Indeed, ferric Fe3+-driven AOM has been poorly envisaged as a possible metabolic process in the Archean ocean, but this can potentially change the conceptualization and modelling of metabolic and geochemical processes controlling climate conditions in the Early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fleur A E Roland
- Chemical Oceanography Unit, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium.
| | | | | | - Marc Llirós
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute, Salt, Catalunya, Spain
| | | | - Cédric Morana
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
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