Hydrogen-based carbon fixation in the earliest known photosynthetic organisms

Research Article| January 01, 2006 Hydrogen-based carbon fixation in the earliest known photosynthetic organisms Michael M. Tice; Michael M. Tice 1 Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Donald R. Lowe Donald R. Lowe 1 Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Michael M. Tice 1 Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA Donald R. Lowe 1 Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 30 Jun 2005 Revision Received: 12 Sep 2005 Accepted: 15 Sep 2005 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2006) 34 (1): 37–40. https://doi.org/10.1130/G22012.1 Article history Received: 30 Jun 2005 Revision Received: 12 Sep 2005 Accepted: 15 Sep 2005 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Michael M. Tice, Donald R. Lowe; Hydrogen-based carbon fixation in the earliest known photosynthetic organisms. Geology 2006;; 34 (1): 37–40. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G22012.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Thin carbonaceous laminations preserved in shallow-water facies of the 3416 Ma Buck Reef Chert, South Africa, have been interpreted to represent some of the oldest-known mats constructed by photosynthetic microbes. Preservation of these mats within a unit containing facies deposited at water depths ranging from 0 m to >200 m provides an opportunity to explore the electron donors employed in early microbial photosynthesis. The presence of siderite (FeCO3) as a primary sediment, lack of hematite (Fe2O3), and lack of cerium anomalies throughout the Buck Reef Chert imply that the entire water column was anoxic despite the presence of photosynthetic organisms. Authigenic uranium (Ua = U–Th/3) correlates inversely with siderite abundance, suggesting that variations in carbonate rather than oxygen activity controlled uranium mobility. The inferred lack of oxygen and ferric minerals and the presence of dissolved Fe2+ in the water column imply that H2O, Fe2+, and H2S could not have served as primary electron donors for carbon fixation. It is most likely that Buck Reef Chert bacteria utilized H2 as the primary reductant for photosynthesis. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.