Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event

Abu Saeed Baidya; Joanne S. Boden; Yuhao Li; Albertus J. B. Smith; Kurt O. Konhauser; Eva Elisabeth Stueeken

doi:10.1038/S41467-025-59963-0

Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event

Abu Saeed Baidya^*, Joanne S. Boden, Yuhao Li, Albertus J. B. Smith, Kurt O. Konhauser, Eva Elisabeth Stueeken

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Phosphorus availability has influenced the co-evolution of life and Earth’s environments. While phosphate was likely the main phosphorus source for life during the Archean, phosphite (HPO₃²⁻) gained importance leading up to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). However, the concentration of phosphite in seawater at that time, and the processes driving this shift in P utilization, remain poorly constrained. Using lab experiments and phosphite data from banded iron formations (BIFs), we show that hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) preferentially remove phosphate over phosphite. This suggests that shallow seawater at the onset of the GOE could have contained up to 0.17 µM phosphite, comprising 5–88% of total dissolved inorganic phosphorus. We propose that phosphate depletion driven by HFO adsorption and microbial competition may have promoted the use of phosphite as an alternative P source.

Original language	English
Article number	4825
Pages (from-to)	1-12
Number of pages	12
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	16
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/S41467-025-59963-0
Publication status	Published - 24 May 2025

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title = "Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event",

abstract = "Phosphorus availability has influenced the co-evolution of life and Earth{\textquoteright}s environments. While phosphate was likely the main phosphorus source for life during the Archean, phosphite (HPO32−) gained importance leading up to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). However, the concentration of phosphite in seawater at that time, and the processes driving this shift in P utilization, remain poorly constrained. Using lab experiments and phosphite data from banded iron formations (BIFs), we show that hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) preferentially remove phosphate over phosphite. This suggests that shallow seawater at the onset of the GOE could have contained up to 0.17 µM phosphite, comprising 5–88\% of total dissolved inorganic phosphorus. We propose that phosphate depletion driven by HFO adsorption and microbial competition may have promoted the use of phosphite as an alternative P source.",

author = "Baidya, \{Abu Saeed\} and Boden, \{Joanne S.\} and Yuhao Li and Smith, \{Albertus J. B.\} and Konhauser, \{Kurt O.\} and Stueeken, \{Eva Elisabeth\}",

note = "Funding: This work was financially supported by a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC UKRI) Frontiers grant to EES (NE/V010824/1), Marie Sk{\l}odowska-Curie Actions grant to ASB (EP/Y026497/1), and Royal Society Wolfson Visiting Fellowship (Royal Society and the Wolfson Foundation) to KK. For the XRD analyses, we acknowledge an Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) Core Equipment Grant (EP/V034138/1) to the School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews.",

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month = may,

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doi = "10.1038/S41467-025-59963-0",

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T1 - Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event

AU - Baidya, Abu Saeed

AU - Boden, Joanne S.

AU - Li, Yuhao

AU - Smith, Albertus J. B.

AU - Konhauser, Kurt O.

AU - Stueeken, Eva Elisabeth

N1 - Funding: This work was financially supported by a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC UKRI) Frontiers grant to EES (NE/V010824/1), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions grant to ASB (EP/Y026497/1), and Royal Society Wolfson Visiting Fellowship (Royal Society and the Wolfson Foundation) to KK. For the XRD analyses, we acknowledge an Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) Core Equipment Grant (EP/V034138/1) to the School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews.

PY - 2025/5/24

Y1 - 2025/5/24

N2 - Phosphorus availability has influenced the co-evolution of life and Earth’s environments. While phosphate was likely the main phosphorus source for life during the Archean, phosphite (HPO32−) gained importance leading up to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). However, the concentration of phosphite in seawater at that time, and the processes driving this shift in P utilization, remain poorly constrained. Using lab experiments and phosphite data from banded iron formations (BIFs), we show that hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) preferentially remove phosphate over phosphite. This suggests that shallow seawater at the onset of the GOE could have contained up to 0.17 µM phosphite, comprising 5–88% of total dissolved inorganic phosphorus. We propose that phosphate depletion driven by HFO adsorption and microbial competition may have promoted the use of phosphite as an alternative P source.

AB - Phosphorus availability has influenced the co-evolution of life and Earth’s environments. While phosphate was likely the main phosphorus source for life during the Archean, phosphite (HPO32−) gained importance leading up to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). However, the concentration of phosphite in seawater at that time, and the processes driving this shift in P utilization, remain poorly constrained. Using lab experiments and phosphite data from banded iron formations (BIFs), we show that hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) preferentially remove phosphate over phosphite. This suggests that shallow seawater at the onset of the GOE could have contained up to 0.17 µM phosphite, comprising 5–88% of total dissolved inorganic phosphorus. We propose that phosphate depletion driven by HFO adsorption and microbial competition may have promoted the use of phosphite as an alternative P source.

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DO - 10.1038/S41467-025-59963-0

M3 - Article

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 16

SP - 1

EP - 12

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

M1 - 4825

ER -

Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event

Abstract

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Did hydrothermal vents push the frontier: Did hydrothermal vents push the frontiers of habitability on the early Earth?

Phosphite and phosphate adsorption fractions on experimental iron oxides in natural banded iron formations

Phosphate and phosphite adsorption data on ferrihydrite precipitates

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Bioavailable phosphite in the surface ocean during the Great Oxidation Event

Abstract

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Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Did hydrothermal vents push the frontier: Did hydrothermal vents push the frontiers of habitability on the early Earth?

Datasets

Phosphite and phosphate adsorption fractions on experimental iron oxides in natural banded iron formations

Phosphate and phosphite adsorption data on ferrihydrite precipitates

Cite this