The Geologic History of Primary Productivity

Authors

Peter W. Crockford, Carleton University
Yinon M. Bar On, California Institute of Technology
Luce M. Ward, Smith CollegeFollow
Ron Milo, Weizmann Institute of Science
Itay Halevy, Weizmann Institute of Science

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-6-2023

Publication Title

Current Biology

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.

Keywords

cyanobacteria, primary productivity, biosphere, carbon cycle, Earth history, export production, cell population, molecular clocks, random mutation, evolution

Volume

33

Issue

21

First Page

4741

Last Page

4750.e5

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.040

Comments

Archived as published. Open Archive.

Recommended Citation

Crockford, Peter W.; Bar On, Yinon M.; Ward, Luce M.; Milo, Ron; and Halevy, Itay, "The Geologic History of Primary Productivity" (2023). Geosciences: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/geo_facpubs/224