Study traces evolution of phosphorus-recycling enzymes across billions of years of Earth history
Researchers reconstructed the evolutionary history of three major alkaline phosphatase enzyme families, finding they emerged in the Archaean eon and underwent major diversification during the Neoproterozoic era. These enzymes are critical for recycling dissolved organic phosphorus in seawater, sustaining marine primary productivity. The findings shed light on how ocean nutrient cycling has been shaped by biological evolution and changing environmental conditions over billions of years.
A new preprint study published on bioRxiv used phylogenetic reconciliation across the tree of life to trace the deep evolutionary history of alkaline phosphatases — enzymes that break down dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) and release inorganic phosphorus for marine organisms to use. The analysis found that these enzymes first appeared during the Archaean eon, suggesting DOP-based nutrient cycling has supported marine ecosystems for most of Earth's history. A significant expansion and diversification of alkaline phosphatases occurred during the Neoproterozoic, a period that coincided with the rise and ecological spread of algae. The researchers also examined the distribution of these enzymes across major metabolic groups using modern genomes, finding that extracellular alkaline phosphatases are most concentrated in ferric iron reducers, fermenters, and aerobic heterotrophs, while being comparatively rare in other metabolic strategies. This pattern implies that the efficiency of marine phosphorus recycling has been closely tied to prevailing metabolic lifestyles and environmental redox conditions, particularly as Earth's surface became progressively oxygenated. The study offers new insights into the enzymatic mechanisms that helped sustain marine productivity through major transitions in Earth's biological and geochemical history.
What's missing
As a preprint, this study has not yet undergone peer review, so its methods and conclusions have not been independently validated. The study relies on phylogenetic reconciliation, a computational approach with known uncertainties in deep-time dating; the authors do not explicitly discuss the error margins or sensitivity of their divergence time estimates. Additionally, how well extant genomic data represents ancient microbial diversity remains an open question.
What different sources said
- bioRxivCenter
Tracing the evolution of microbial alkaline phosphatases and their role in phosphorus recycling through time
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