Phytolith Assemblages in Grasses Native to Central Argentina

Gallego, Lucrecia

doi:10.1093/aob/mch214

Cited by 86 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Silica deposited as inclusions within the cells are usually termed as phytoliths or silica bodies. Phytoliths have proved to be a potential tool in palaeoecological studies as they remain stable in the soil for even millions of years after plant tissues decay [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytoliths as a Tool for the Identification of Some Chloridoideae Grasses in Kerala

Jattisha

Sabu

2012

ISRN Botany

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The phytoliths of eight genera including fifteen species of grasses under the subfamily Chloridoideae in Kerala were studied. Phytoliths were studied after chemical isolation. Every species was found to produce a diverse array of phytoliths. However the frequency assemblages of phytoliths, their size, and orientation in the epidermal layer appear to vary among the different species and hence can be used for the delimitation of the taxa. Consequently, an identification key following the International Code for Phytolith Nomenclature was developed for all the species studied.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytoliths as a Tool for the Identification of Some Chloridoideae Grasses in Kerala

Jattisha

Sabu

2012

ISRN Botany

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“…Phytoliths, also called plant opals or opaline silica, are solid deposits of amorphous silica (SiO 2 .nH 2 O) that are produced in living plants and precipitated in and among their cells in organs such as stems, leaves and inflorescences (Metcalfe, 1960;Runge, 1999;Pearsall, 2000). In plant tissues phytoliths are deposited as discrete bodies in intracellular (cells and cell walls) and/or intercellular spaces (Piperno, 1988;Gallego and Distel, 2004). Many phytoliths are morphologically distinctive, although some taxa have less distinctive morphologies that are difficult to characterise by shape and size.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The accumulation of silica occurs in various taxa (Hodson et al, 2005) and phytoliths are particularly abundant in the family Poaceae (Gramineae) (Rovner, 1971;Twiss, 1987;Gallego and Distel, 2004). After the plant dies, its organic matter is decomposed and the silica bodies, which are chemically stable, are resistant to decomposition and thus remain as microfossils in soils (Rovner, 1971;Twiss, 1987;Piperno, 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicon, oxygen and carbon isotope composition of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) phytoliths: implications for palaeoecology and archaeology

Hodson

Parker

Leng

et al. 2008

J Quaternary Science

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2008. Silicon, oxygen and carbon isotope composition of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) phytoliths: implications for palaeoecology and archaeology.ABSTRACT: Six mature wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants from one crop were collected one week before harvest, and organs were separated as follows: culm, rachis, leaf sheaths, leaf blades and inflorescence bracts. Percentage silica (% SiO 2 ), % C, % N and d 13 C were determined in these samples. Phytoliths isolated from the individual organs were subsequently analysed for d 29 Si, d 30 Si, and d 18 O, as well as % C, % N and d 13 C from occluded organic material within the phytoliths. Percentage silica was highest in the leaf sheaths and leaf blades and lower in the inflorescence bracts, culm and rachis. d 30 Si and d 29 Si were highly correlated, and both increased in the upper parts of the plant. It appears there are two routes for Si transport within the plant, and that heavier isotopes increase towards the end of both routes. The d 18 O results indicate that the culm and the leaf blades were the sites of highest d 18 O, with lower values in the rachis, leaf sheath and inflorescence. There was no correlation between the accumulation of either heavy silicon isotope ( 29 Si and 30 Si) and heavy oxygen accumulation ( 18 O). d 13 C values were typical of C3 species, and whole plant and isolated phytolith values were similar. Low % N concentrations were detected in phytoliths. # Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

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“…Brown, 1984;Mulholland, 1989;Fredlund and Tieszen, 1994) and South American grasses (e.g. Gallego and Distel, 2004;Fernandez Honaine et al, 2006;Piperno and Pearsall, 1998), as well as the seminal works of Metcalfe (1960) and Watson and Dallwitz (1994 onwards) have generally confirmed the Twiss classification, but also demonstrated that numerous genera have deviating patterns of short cell phytoliths. However, the indices approach does not refer to single phytoliths diagnostic for species or genera, but to phytolith assemblages (Fredlund and Tieszen, 1994).…”

Section: Indices Vs General Approachmentioning

confidence: 86%

The Early Holocene palaeoenvironment of Ounjougou (Mali): Phytoliths in a multiproxy context

Neumann¹,

Fahmy²,

Lespez³

et al. 2009

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oThe site complex Ounjougou on the Dogon Plateau (Mali) comprises sediments up to 100,000 years old with numerous Pleistocene and Holocene sequences. The site Ravin de la Mouche (11.4-10.2 ka) is of special archaeological significance because in its Early Holocene deposits, pottery sherds have been found which are among the oldest in Africa. For a better understanding of the environmental conditions which might have contributed to the innovation of pottery making, a multi-proxy approach was applied to the sediments of Ravin de la Mouche, including phytoliths, pollen, palynofacies, micromorphology and charcoal. The multiproxy approach also allows reconstructing the complex taphonomy of the site. In our phytolith study, we applied a combination of the general and the indices approaches. We recorded a maximum of morphotypes and used the summarized data for a calculation of the indices D:P, Ic, and Iph, in comparison with modern surface samples and data from other African phytolith studies. With the general approach, a number of morphotypes could be detected which are useful in describing the Late Pleistocene and the Early Holocene vegetation. Phytoliths were extracted from the Pleistocene base and the early Holocene layers HA1, HA2 and HA3. The Pleistocene sediment samples, with an age of ca. 30-40 ka BP, have no grass short cell phytoliths (GSCP) and their composition is difficult to interpret. HA1 is a coarse fluvial deposit with mainly redeposited phytoliths of Pleistocene origin. The palaeosoil in HA2 contains phytolith assemblages developed in situ from a terrestrial plant cover. The vegetation was an open tropical grassland and a gallery forest with palms and Marantaceae. Annuals from the grass subfamilies Chloridoideae and Panicoideae, probably with a low biomass production, dominated the grassland. This might explain the insignificant role of fire, as indicated by the very low number of micro-charcoals. HA3 results from a rhythmic deposition of alluvial sediments, pointing to pronounced seasonality of rainfall and discharge. It contains pollen, charcoal, and phytolith assemblages with a similar composition as in HA2. The Early Holocene annual grassland on the Dogon Plateau probably harboured a high number of species from the grass subfamily Panicoideae with edible grains. We suggest that the massive expansion of useful Panicoid grasses during the Early Holocene triggered the development of important cultural innovations, mainly pottery production. Cooking wild cereal grains in a ceramic container would have enabled a very effective exploitation of the vast Sahelo-Sudanian grasslands, which remained to be successful until modern times.

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Phytolith Assemblages in Grasses Native to Central Argentina

Abstract: This study highlights the possibility of reconstructing past vegetation in central Argentina grasslands through the analysis of soil phytolith assemblages.

Cited by 86 publications

References 22 publications

Phytoliths as a Tool for the Identification of Some Chloridoideae Grasses in Kerala

Phytoliths as a Tool for the Identification of Some Chloridoideae Grasses in Kerala

Silicon, oxygen and carbon isotope composition of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) phytoliths: implications for palaeoecology and archaeology

The Early Holocene palaeoenvironment of Ounjougou (Mali): Phytoliths in a multiproxy context

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