When Did Photosynthesis Emerge on Earth?

2000/09/08 by David J. Des Marais · 4 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Marine and coastal ecosystems #Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics #Isotope Analysis in Ecology #Photosynthesis #Earth (classical element) #Abiotic component #Astrobiology #Earth history #Planet #Biology #Ecology #Earth science #Paleontology #Geology #Botany #Astronomy #Physics

paper · doi:10.1126/science.289.5485.1703

openalex publication_date 2000/09/08 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

Life began early in Earth's history, but it was the emergence of photosynthesis that allowed its proliferation across the planet, because it freed life from its sole dependence on abiotic chemical sources of reducing power. Des Marais discusses recent geological and molecular biological evidence, such as the paper by Xiong et al., that photosynthesis emerged at least 2,800 million years ago.

Citations

• Mid-Ocean Ridge Hydrothermal Fluxes and the Chemical Composition of the Ocean
• Towards a natural system of organisms: proposal for the domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya.

Cited by

• Surface and Temporal Biosignatures
• Molecular evidence for the evolution of photosynthesis
• Early life on land and the first terrestrial ecosystems
• History of Earth [wikipedia]