Phytolith analysis of Cyperaceae from the Pampean region, Argentina
- 1 January 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by CSIRO Publishing in Australian Journal of Botany
- Vol. 57 (6), 512-523
- https://doi.org/10.1071/bt09041
Abstract
Cyperaceae, along with Poaceae, is the main silica accumulator. Although the anatomical-taxonomic and palaeobotanical relevance of phytoliths has been well established, there are no studies that deal with the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the phytolith production or differentiate phytoliths from the different organs in Cyperaceae. Toward the construction of a detailed database of phytolith production, we describe in the present paper the phytoliths of leaves, culms and fruits of Cyperaceae from Pampean region (Argentina). Phytoliths were extracted by a calcination technique. Qualitative and quantitative characters and percentages of phytolith morphotypes were subject to principal component analysis to analyse their taxonomic relevance. For some sedges, values of phytolith content and a comparative analysis of leaves, culms and fruit phytoliths are presented here for the first time. Diverse tissues such as epidermis, xylem, parenchyma and sclerenchyma produced phytoliths. The most abundant morphotypes were conical phytoliths, which showed differences in the base shape and in their size between organs. Leaf/culm cones have a rounded, rectangular or square base; typical fruit cones have a polygonal base and they are bigger and more robust. PCA showed that quantitative and qualitative characters of cones, along with the percentages of morphotypes, allowed group distinction.Keywords
This publication has 20 references indexed in Scilit:
- Interrelations of vegetal cover, silicophytolith content and pedogenesis of Typical Argiudolls of the Pampean Plain, ArgentinaCATENA, 2008
- Late Holocene palaeoenvironments of the Nutria Mansa 1 archaeological site, ArgentinaJournal of Paleolimnology, 2008
- Phytoliths as indicators of pedogenesis and paleoenvironmental changes in the Brazilian cerradoJournal of Geochemical Exploration, 2006
- Phytoliths in plants and soils of the interior Pacific Northwest, USAReview of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 2005
- Terrestrial ecosystems and the global biogeochemical silica cycleGlobal Biogeochemical Cycles, 2002
- Phytoliths as paleoenvironmental indicators, West Side Middle Awash Valley, EthiopiaPalaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 1999
- Phytoliths: indicators of grassland dynamics during the late Holocene in intertropical AfricaPalaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 1997
- Studies in Cyperaceae in southern Africa 26: Glume epidermal silica deposits as a character in generic delimitation of Costularia and Cyathocoma as distinct from Tetraria and other alliesSouth African Journal of Botany, 1995
- Sedge genera of the world: Relationships and a new classification of the CyperaceaeAustralian Systematic Botany, 1995
- Genera of Cyperaceae: interactive identification and information retrievalTaxon, 1992