Soil and climate affect foliar silicification patterns and silica-cellulose balance in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)

Tombeur, Félix de; Linden, Charles Vander; Cornélis, Jean-Thomas; Godin, Bruno; Compère, Philippe; Delvaux, Bruno

doi:10.1007/s11104-020-04588-z

Cited by 21 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 106 publications

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“…Although we did not find these relationships in this study, some previous work has demonstrated a negative correlation between Si and C‐based compounds such as phenolics, lignin and cellulose (Cooke & Leishman, 2012; Klotzbucher et al., 2018; O'Reagain & Mentis, 1989; de Tombeur et al., 2020). When these relationships are found, it may reflect the fact that Si provides an energetically cheaper form of structural support for plants in addition to an alternative form of defence, which therefore frees up C for other metabolic processes (Cooke & Leishman, 2012; McNaughton et al., 1985; Raven, 1983).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 84%

“…The structural benefit of Si in increasing cell wall rigidity has been suggested to be greater under drought where reduced turgor pressure and water loss via transpiration are more significant (Quigley et al., 2020). However, other substrate and climatic factors may also influence Si uptake, including soil bioavailable Si and climate‐driven evaporative demand (de Tombeur et al., 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Leaf silicification provides herbivore defence regardless of the extensive impacts of water stress

et al. 2021

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Altered precipitation patterns due to climate change are likely to impose water‐deficit stress in plants resulting in changes to specific leaf mass, leaf water content and chemical defences that may impact herbivorous arthropods. Grasses, in particular, accumulate large concentrations of silicon (Si) which provides physical defence against herbivores. Although Si uptake by plants may be affected by water availability, very few studies have investigated the combined effect of water‐deficit stress and Si on insect herbivore performance. We grew tall fescue Festuca arundinacea Schreb. hydroponically, with and without Si, and half of the plants were treated with 20% polyethylene glycol (PEG) to impose osmotic stress. In all, 11 leaf traits (physiological, chemical and structural) were measured, silicified phytoliths on the leaf surface were visualised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with X‐ray mapping, and plants were exposed to a chewing insect herbivore [Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)]. Although osmotic stress was associated with changes to leaf physiological and chemical traits, including increased specific leaf mass, decreased leaf relative water content and increased leaf nitrogen (N), there was no significant effect on H. armigera relative growth rate (RGR). However, Si reduced RGR of H. armigera by 80%–98% while generating few changes to physiological and chemical leaf traits. Instead, the decline in RGR with Si was associated with changes to leaf structural traits, in particular, a greater density of silicified phytoliths on the leaf surface. Comparison of effect sizes indicated that leaf traits were primarily affected by osmotic stress but not Si, and that herbivore RGR was strongly negatively affected by Si but not osmotic stress. There was no interactive effect between the osmotic stress and Si treatments on H. armigera RGR or plant traits except for leaf nitrogen and phenolic concentrations. This study provides further support that Si may prove to be beneficial to plants against chewing insect pests and remains robust regardless of water‐deficit stress conditions. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaf silicification provides herbivore defence regardless of the extensive impacts of water stress

et al. 2021

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“…2018; de Tombeur et al . 2020a), investing in silica as a defence mechanism (and eventually as leaf support for Cyperaceae) makes sense from an energetic standpoint on the oldest and most nutrient‐depleted soils, where plants converge towards the ‘slow’ end of the leaf economics spectrum (Reich 2014; Guilherme Pereira et al . 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2017; de Tombeur et al . 2020a). This mechanism of biosilicification has occurred in land plants for over 400 million years (Trembath‐Reichert et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A shift from phenol to silica‐based leaf defences during long‐term soil and ecosystem development

et al. 2021

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The resource availability hypothesis predicts that plants adapted to infertile soils have high levels of anti‐herbivore leaf defences. This hypothesis has been mostly explored for secondary metabolites such as phenolics, whereas it remains underexplored for silica‐based defences. We determined leaf concentrations of total phenols and silicon (Si) in plants growing along the 2‐million‐year Jurien Bay chronosequence, exhibiting an extreme gradient of soil fertility. We found that nitrogen (N) limitation on young soils led to a greater expression of phenol‐based defences, whereas old, phosphorus (P)‐impoverished soils favoured silica‐based defences. Both defence types were negatively correlated at the community and individual species level. Our results suggest a trade‐off among these two leaf defence strategies based on the strength and type of nutrient limitation, thereby opening up new perspectives for the resource availability hypothesis and plant defence research. This study also highlights the importance of silica‐based defences under low P supply.

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“…From their results, Klotzbücher et al [ 303 ] speculated climatic differences to be responsible for their observation (cf. [ 346 ]) and concluded field experiments to be inconsistent with results from laboratory studies regarding relationships between plant-available Si in soils and Si uptake by plants (e.g., [ 347 , 348 ]). This is underpinned by a study by Keeping [ 349 ], who found that the uptake of Si by sugarcane in a shade house pot experiment did neither reflect the concentration of plant-available Si in soils nor the Si content of used Si sources (calcium silicate slag, fused magnesium (thermo) phosphate, volcanic rock dust, magnesium silicate, and granular potassium silicate).…”

Section: Implications For Ecosystem Structure Functioning and Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicon in the Soil–Plant Continuum: Intricate Feedback Mechanisms within Ecosystems

Katz

Puppe

Kaczorek

et al. 2021

Plants

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Plants’ ability to take up silicon from the soil, accumulate it within their tissues and then reincorporate it into the soil through litter creates an intricate network of feedback mechanisms in ecosystems. Here, we provide a concise review of silicon’s roles in soil chemistry and physics and in plant physiology and ecology, focusing on the processes that form these feedback mechanisms. Through this review and analysis, we demonstrate how this feedback network drives ecosystem processes and affects ecosystem functioning. Consequently, we show that Si uptake and accumulation by plants is involved in several ecosystem services like soil appropriation, biomass supply, and carbon sequestration. Considering the demand for food of an increasing global population and the challenges of climate change, a detailed understanding of the underlying processes of these ecosystem services is of prime importance. Silicon and its role in ecosystem functioning and services thus should be the main focus of future research.

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Soil and climate affect foliar silicification patterns and silica-cellulose balance in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)

Cited by 21 publications

References 106 publications

Leaf silicification provides herbivore defence regardless of the extensive impacts of water stress

Leaf silicification provides herbivore defence regardless of the extensive impacts of water stress

A shift from phenol to silica‐based leaf defences during long‐term soil and ecosystem development

Silicon in the Soil–Plant Continuum: Intricate Feedback Mechanisms within Ecosystems

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