Impact of Grassland Radiation on the Nonmarine Silica Cycle and Miocene Diatomite

Kidder, David L.; Gierlowski‐Kordesch, Elizabeth

doi:10.2110/palo.2003.p03-108

Cited by 43 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Expansion of grasses in the Early Miocene coincided with the origin of high-crowned teeth in grazing ungulates, which is assumed to be driven by the consumption of abrasive, silica-rich phytoliths in their grass forage [51]. Massive accumulation of phytoliths in grassland systems has been considered to act as a key player to drive Miocene diatomite abundance and diversity in non-marine [51] and even marine sediment records [52]. It was assumed that phytoliths were mobilized from grassland soils through wind, fire, run-off and/or dissolution to groundwater.…”

Section: (C) Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazers: biocatalysts of terrestrial silica cycling

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Silica is well known for its role as inducible defence mechanism countering herbivore attack, mainly through precipitation of opaline, biogenic silica (BSi) bodies (phytoliths) in plant epidermal tissues. Even though grazing strongly interacts with other element cycles, its impact on terrestrial silica cycling has never been thoroughly considered. Here, BSi content of ingested grass, hay and faeces of large herbivores was quantified by performing multiple chemical extraction procedures for BSi, allowing the assessment of chemical reactivity. Dissolution experiments with grass and faeces were carried out to measure direct availability of BSi for dissolution. Average BSi and readily soluble silica numbers were higher in faeces as compared with grass or hay, and differences between herbivores could be related to distinct digestive strategies. Reactivity and dissolvability of BSi increases after digestion, mainly due to degradation of organic matrices, resulting in higher silica turnover rates and mobilization potential from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems in non-grazed versus grazed pasture systems (2 versus 20 kg Si ha 21 y 21). Our results suggest a crucial yet currently unexplored role of herbivores in determining silica export from land to ocean, where its availability is linked to eutrophication events and carbon sequestration through C-Si diatom interactions.

show abstract

Section: (C) Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazers: biocatalysts of terrestrial silica cycling

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Of greater interest however is the belowground store of biogenic Si, which comprises roughly 130 Tmol of Si. Measurements of other grassland systems (savannah, shrubland, and tundra, which comprise an additional 9,520,000 km 2 [ White et al , 2000] would further refine the role of grasslands in the global biogeochemical Si cycle and the concomitant rise of grasslands and diatomaceous marine deposits associated with the late Miocene [ Kidder and Gierlowski‐Kordesch , 2005].…”

Section: Potential Significance Of Grasslands In Global Si Biogeochemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biologic cycling of silica across a grassland bioclimosequence

Blecker

McCulley

Chadwick

et al. 2006

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

252

223

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

[1] The dynamics of biologic Si cycling in grassland ecosystems are largely unknown and likely to impact mineral weathering rates regionally and diatom productivity globally; key regulatory processes in the global Si cycle are closely tied to the global carbon cycle. Across a bioclimatic sequence spanning major grassland ecosystems in the Great Plains, soil biogenic silica depth distributions are similar to that of soil organic carbon; however, unlike soil organic carbon, quantities of soil biogenic silica decrease with increasing precipitation, despite an increase in annual biogenic inputs through litterfall across the same gradient. Though comprising only 1-3% of the total Si pool, faster turnover of biogenic Si and annual cycling by grasses should positively impact mineral dissolution. Our results suggest that the largest reservoir of biogenic Si in terrestrial ecosystems resides in soils, and emphasize the potential significance of grasslands in the global biogeochemical cycle of Si.

show abstract

“…Vegetation structure is a fundamental determinant of ecosystem function, both at the local scale (e.g., primary productivity, soil-water relations, and faunal ecological diversity; Monsi and Saeki, 2005;Gibson, 2009;Travouillon and Legendre, 2009) and at regional to global scales, through variable albedo, carbon storage, and geochemical cycles (Giambelluca et al, 1997;Sage, 2004;Kidder and Gierlowski-Kordesch, 2005). Knowledge of vegetation structure is therefore vital for understanding the ways in which ecosystems respond to major environmental perturbations, in the past, as well as in the future.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%