Many microbial processes (such as photosynthesis, sulfate reduction, methanotrophy,
autotrophy, nitrogen fixation, aerobic respiration, and the oxidation and reduction
of iron) play important roles in the modern biogeochemical cycling of carbon, sulfur,
nitrogen, oxygen, and iron. It is generally thought that these processes trace back
deep in time to the Archean and Proterozoic Earth - playing fundamental roles in the
oxygenation of the biosphere, in the generation of banded iron formation, and in the
changing chemistry of the oceans through time. However, most microorganisms lack a
conventional fossil (or biogeochemical) record and, from the perspective of the geological
record, there is no clear consensus as to the antiquity of most major microbial groups
and their associated metabolic processes. This project uses a new, innovative technique
(phylogenomic dating) to reconstruct some of the earliest divergences on the tree
of life, and to constrain when physiological and ecological processes arose in Earth’s
history. This information is vital for understanding how early Earth and early life
co-evolved - central goals in the fields of microbiology and geology, and a central
goal in NASA’s Astrobiology program. Understanding how life on Earth evolved, and
how to search for ancient biogeochemical processes, will ultimately be critical in
the search for life elsewhere. This one-year pilot project aims to construct the data
sets and preliminary results needed for a full 3-year grant proposal.
Contact Info
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Carrine Blank
Geosciences
University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812
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