Earth's early biosphere.
Understanding our own early biosphere is essential to our search for life elsewhere, because life arose on Earth very early and rocky planets shared similar early histories. The biosphere arose before 3.8 Ga ago, was exclusively unicellular and was dominated by hyperthermophiles that utilized chemical sources of energy and employed a range of metabolic pathways for CO2 assimilation. Photosynthesis also arose very early. Oxygenic photosynthesis arose later but still prior to 2.7 Ga. The transition toward the modern global environment was paced by a decline in volcanic and hydrothermal activity. These developments allowed atmospheric O2 levels to increase. The O2 increase created new niches for aerobic life, most notably the more advanced Eukarya that eventually spawned the megascopic fauna and flora of our modern biosphere.
Des Marais
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Space Science Division, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA.
D001105:Archaea; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry; D001419:Bacteria; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D018534:Earth, Planet; D017753:Ecosystem; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells; D019419:Evolution, Planetary; D005580:Fossils; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis
D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002244:Carbon; D010100:Oxygen