Phytoliths represent one of the few available altitudinal vegetation proxies for mountain ecosystems. This study analyzed 41 topsoil phytolith samples collected from five altitudinal zones in the southern Himalaya as far as, and beyond, the timberline, from tropical forest (up to 1,000 m a.s.l.) to subtropical forest (1,000–2,000 m a.s.l.), to temperate forest (2,000–3,000 m a.s.l.), to subalpine forest (3,000–4,100 m a.s.l.) and finally to alpine scrub (4,100–5,200 m a.s.l.). The statistical results show a good correlation between phytolith assemblages and these five altitudinal vegetation zones: the five phytolith assemblages identified effectively differentiated these five altitudinal vegetation zones. In particular, coniferous phytoliths accurately indicated the timberline. Additionally, we tested the phytolith index Ic (a proxy for estimating the percentage of Pooideae vis-à-vis the total grass content) as a quantifier of phytolith variety versus altitude. Ic increased along altitude, as expected. An investigation of phytoliths provided an initial basis for the analysis of the composition of gramineous vegetation. Furthermore, redundancy analysis and discriminant analysis also suggested a significant correlation between phytolith assemblages and altitude. Our research therefore provides an up-to-date analogue for the reconstruction of changes to palaeovegetation and palaeoaltitude in mountainous areas.
Phytoliths are efficient proxies in archaeology, plant taxonomy, palaeoenvironment, and palaeoecology reconstruction, the research of which has been developing rapidly in recent years. Phytolith morphology is the basis of phytolith research. The morphological identification and classification of grass phytoliths are clear and detailed enough for application. However, the morphology of phytoliths from woody plants is ambiguous and unsystematic because of the relatively rare research on modern phytoliths and consequently seldom used in archaeology and palaeoenvironment reconstruction. This paper summarizes and concludes the research of woody phytolith morphology in the past decades. Previous studies show that palms and conifers produce some diagnostic phytoliths for identification and classification. There is progress in micromorphology, morphometry, and taxonomic identification of palms and conifers phytoliths. The phytolith morphology of broad-leaved trees is summarized according to produced parts of phytoliths in plants. The potential of further classification for broad-leaved phytoliths was discussed.
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