东北地区芦苇植硅体浓度的时空分异规律

芦苇是生态域极广的一种禾本科芦竹亚科植物,且其植硅体含量丰富,基于此,本文探讨了东北地区不同温度带及生长期的不同阶段芦苇植硅体浓度的变化规律,揭示芦苇植硅体的环境指示意义,从而为定量恢复古环境和探讨植硅体形成机理提供相关参考。结果表明:东北地区12个样点芦苇样品中共包含6种主要植硅体类型,其中鞍型的含量最高,是芦苇植硅体的优势类型。同时在不同温度带及生长期芦苇植硅体浓度具有明显差异。在东北地区,从温带到暖温带,芦苇植硅体和鞍型浓度均随温度升高而增多,但在不同湿度区,其随温度的变化趋势并不一致。总的来看,东北地区芦苇植硅体和鞍型浓度与温度的关系密切,可指示环境温度的变化,但其在一定程度上也受湿度的影响。在6—10月,芦苇植硅体和鞍型浓度均在其生长初期较多,而在9、10月相对较少,并推测植物植硅体浓度的变化规律可能与植物生长本身对硅的需求规律相一致。该结果有助于理解植硅体的形成机理,从而促进植硅体分析在古环境研究中的应用。     

东北地区芦苇植硅体的变化特征

深入研究芦苇(Phragmites australis)不同生长期植硅体的形态变化规律, 对提高古植被重建精度、探讨植硅体形成机理具有重要意义。该文对东北地区12个样点的芦苇叶片进行研究, 选取长势相近、叶片大小一致的芦苇叶片, 用湿式灰化法提取植硅体并对其进行分类和命名。研究发现, 芦苇植硅体主要有5种类型, 在不同生长期内和不同温湿度组合下, 其植硅体类型组合基本无变化, 说明同种植物的植硅体类型组合具有稳定性, 据此可以有效地恢复古植被; 同时芦苇鞍型植硅体百分含量的峰值出现在7月份, 随后稍有减少, 而芦苇扇型植硅体百分含量和浓度的峰值出现在8或9月份, 谷值在7月份。由此推测芦苇鞍型植硅体的形成可能更多地受控于植物的光合作用和蒸腾作用, 芦苇扇型植硅体的形成可能与机动细胞的支撑作用关系密切。实验结果还表明芦苇植硅体浓度并不是随着时间逐渐积累的, 其在8月份达到峰值, 9月份达到谷值, 因此推测植物植硅体浓度的变化规律可能与植物在不同生长期其自身对硅的需求规律相一致。鞍型植硅体浓度的峰值也出现在8月份, 谷值也在9月份, 其浓度变化与芦苇植硅体总浓度的变化趋势相似。     

温带地区表土植硅体对温度的响应

植硅体的现代过程研究是利用植硅体这一指标精准恢复区域古植被、古气候的前提和关键环节,探讨表土植硅体组合的空间分布特征及其对环境因子的响应尤为重要。本研究在东北地区沿着年降水量为600 mm等降水线采集54块表土样品,研究单一温度控制下表土植硅体的空间分布规律,以期寻找对温度比较敏感的植硅体类型。结果表明: 54块表土样品中植硅体类型相同,共鉴定出15类,分别是棒型、尖型、块状、扇型、扁平状、帽型、鞍型、哑铃型、齿型、三棱柱型、硅化气孔、导管型、硅质突起、弓型、椎骨状,且主要以棒型、尖型为主,短细胞、块状、扁平状次之,其他类型植硅体的平均百分含量不足1.0%。小兴安岭、松辽平原和辽西低山丘陵3个区域的表土植硅体组合特征存在差异,判别分析结果能够将3个区域样点有效区分开,总的判别正确率为94.4%,其中棒型、尖型、三棱柱型的平均含量在小兴安岭最大,在辽西低山丘陵最小;而鞍型、哑铃型、硅质突起与之相反;块状、扁平状、扇型则主要是在松辽平原最大,且棒型、尖型、三棱柱型、鞍型、哑铃型、硅质突起、块状、扁平状和扇型的百分含量在3个区域之间存在显著差异。棒型、尖型、三棱柱型的百分含量与年均温之间存在显著负相关,块状、扁平状、扇型、哑铃型、硅质突起的百分含量与年均温呈显著正相关,而鞍型、帽型、齿型的百分含量与年均温没有显著相关性。     

浙江青浜岛现代植物群落和表土植硅体研究及环境意义

在植物分类基础上全面调查了浙江舟山青浜岛分布的植物群落类型,获得8个群丛类型,对青浜岛25种现代植物植硅体进行提取,共鉴定出17种形态类型。帽型、齿型、哑铃型、鞍型和扇型主要见于禾本科植物;蕨类主要产波状棒型和三棱柱型;木本主要产纺锤型和多边形板状型,这表明不同分类位置的植物产生不同的植硅体形态及组合。对横跨整个青浜岛东南—西北坡向的8个群丛样方进行表土植硅体提取分析,共获得14种植硅体形态类型,研究结果显示表土植硅体贡献主要来自禾本科、蕨类、阔叶类和裸子类植物。随着岛屿山体海拔的增加(海拔20—90m),示冷型和示干旱型植硅体增加,青浜岛局部生境(自东南向西北翻过山顶)气候变化表现为温暖湿润—温凉偏干—温暖湿润。表土植硅体组合灵敏地响应了海拔改变而引起的局地植被和环境的变化,是重建第四纪环境变化的可靠代用指标。     

水稻和旱稻植硅体形态的对比研究

我国南方丘陵山地地区的原始稻种种类是"旱稻"还是"水稻",一直备受争议。水稻和旱稻是亚洲栽培稻(Oryza sativa)的不同生态型,如何区分史前遗址中两者遗存是解决该争议的关键。植硅体分析方法可有效区分野生稻和栽培稻,在研究水稻驯化过程中取得了重要研究进展,因此旱稻植硅体形态大小和组合变化与水稻可能存在差异。本文对水稻与旱稻的植硅体形态进行统计和对比分析,结果显示虽然两种水稻型所含植硅体形态相似,但旱稻哑铃型和刺棒型植硅体百分含量高于水稻,水稻扇型植硅体百分含量较高,且水稻扇型、哑铃型植硅体个体更大。以上这些差异可能与不同生态型水稻的生长环境、耕作及管理方式、泡状细胞发育程度等因素相关。哑铃型、双斧型、刺棒型的百分含量差异或可作为判别水稻和旱稻的指标,在判别南方丘陵山地史前稻作方式中拥有较大潜力。     

四川新津宝墩遗址的植硅体分析

农业是文明产生的深厚基础.成都平原是长江上游地区文明起源的中心,探讨其史前农业的经济形态一直是学术界关心的热点问题.本文拟对新津宝墩遗址的文化层剖面及两处灰坑的样品进行植硅体分析,并结合浮选结果,以期探讨宝墩遗址农业经济状况.研究结果表明,宝墩文化层中,存在大量具有驯化特征的产于水稻叶秆的扇型和横排双裂片型(哑铃型)植硅体以及产于水稻稃壳的双峰型植硅体,同时还存在少量黍稃壳植硅体碎片.水稻扇型植硅体多呈典型的驯化形态,总体尺寸较大,其测量数据符合粳稻植硅体特征.这表明宝墩先民的经济结构是以稻作农业为主,兼有粟作农业.     

玉米生长周期内植硅体的变化研究

植物不同组织部位的植硅体形态、组合研究有助于准确鉴定考古地层植硅体来源植物的具体种类以及组织部位;生长周期内植硅体形态、组合变化研究有利于探讨植硅体的形成机制,认识植硅体形态组合变化与环境因子之间的关系,科学解释土壤及沉积物植硅体古植被、古环境信息。玉米变种亚航0919在生长的初期,尤其是前3片真叶,含比重较高的3片以上的多铃型植硅体;随着玉米生长天数增加及生长温度的升高,第4—5片真叶3片以上多铃型植硅体消失,哑铃型植硅体含量逐渐增加,尖型及棒型植硅体含量有所降低,叶片哑铃型植硅体长度(L)及宽度(W)有增加的趋势;相同生长阶段,叶片与叶脉植硅体组合及大小显著不同,叶脉相对叶片含较低比重的哑铃型植硅体、较高比重的十字型和椭圆-哑铃型植硅体,叶脉中哑铃型植硅体小于叶片中的。玉米叶片植硅体形态、组合在生长季节内的变化主要与植物的成熟阶段及生长环境温度的变化有关,其植硅体形态、大小和组合,尤其是哑铃型植硅体大小能够响应温度变化。     

基于大样本数据的中国水稻扇型植硅体形态特征研究

水稻扇型植硅体在水稻起源研究中起着重要的作用,但由于野生稻和栽培稻扇型植硅体的区分存在不确定性,限制了扇型植硅体在早期稻作研究中的应用。本研究通过对植硅体大样本数据的统计分析得出:扇型植硅体长宽大小趋势是,普通野生稻大于栽培稻,粳稻大于籼稻;普通野生稻B/A显著大于栽培稻,粳稻B/A又显著小于籼稻。水稻扇型植硅体的长(VL)与宽(HL)呈现正相关的规律,扇型植硅体主要分布在VL<41μm和HL<39μm与VL>41μm和HL>39μm的区间内;在遗址水稻鉴定中,如发掘的扇型植硅体中多数B/A小于等于1.20就有很大可能是粳稻;如B/A大于1.2,可再根据扇型植硅体的大小区分野生稻和籼稻,多数植硅体在VL<41μm和HL<39μm的区间内可能是籼稻,在VL>41μm和HL>39μm的区间内则可能是普通野生稻。     

安徽蚌埠禹会村遗址植硅体分析及其指示的龙山文化时期农业活动

禹会村遗址是淮河中游地区的一处大型龙山文化时期城址,了解其农业活动有助于认识本地区新石器时代末期的农业发展水平与社会组织形式等。本文对禹会村遗址2017年和2020年两个发掘区的49份样品进行了植硅体分析,在多个遗迹单位中发现不同浓度的水稻特征性植硅体,未发现粟遗存的证据。结合已有研究成果,本文认为禹会村遗址龙山文化时期的农作物以水稻(Oryza sativa)为主,粟(Setaria italica)在农业结构中所占比重较低。遗址中发现的水稻植硅体以来自茎叶的扇型植硅体为主,而且不同区域水稻植硅体分布浓度存在明显的差异,反映禹会村遗址的水稻收割方式可能为连杆收割,将水稻带入遗址内分开完成脱粒与脱壳行为。其中城垣区水稻加工活动可能存在集中完成的现象,而生活遗迹区是以家庭为单位开展。此外,水稻扇型植硅体形态参数分析结果显示,禹会村遗址龙山文化时期水稻驯化水平较低,可能存在包括粳稻在内多个水稻品种。本文揭示了禹会村遗址龙山文化时期农业结构、农作物的加工活动及农业发展水平等相关信息,为进一步研究淮河中游地区龙山文化时期农业生产及与其相关的社会组织形式等方面提供了新的科学依据。     

安徽禹会村遗址双墩文化时期农业发展的植硅体证据

本文利用植硅体分析方法,对安徽蚌埠禹会村遗址双墩文化时期44份土壤样品开展植物考古研究,重点关注典型农作物植硅体类型及其形态特征,以及敏感型与固定型植硅体组合特征等。结果显示,禹会村遗址大部分样品中皆发现有水稻特征型植硅体,并未发现粟、黍等旱地作物遗存;水稻扇型及双峰型植硅体形态特征分析显示,水稻遗存为驯化程度较高的粳型稻。以上研究结果表明,该遗址双墩文化时期的农业结构延续了顺山集文化时期以来种植粳型稻为主的传统。此外,通过水稻植硅体高密度样品中敏感型与固定型植硅体含量比值为0.7±0.2推测,该遗址水稻栽培环境属于“高地势-雨水供给”或“低地势-雨水供给”类型。本文研究结果为探讨淮河中游地区新石器时代农业发展、水稻栽培与驯化以及人类适应策略等问题提供了重要科学依据。     

Assessing the importance of environmental factors to phytoliths of Phragmites communis in north-eastern China

Phytoliths have proved to be reliable indicators of environmental conditions both at present and in the past, and can provide evidence for the distribution of taxa or vegetation. Understanding the environmental significance of phytoliths within plants helps in drawing more reliable inferences about palaeovegetation and in reconstructing the palaeo-environment. The present study examined the relationship between phytoliths and environmental factors to assess the environmental significance of different types of phytoliths. Phytoliths were extracted from Phragmites communis growing in xerophytic and aquatic habitats at twelve sampling sites in north-eastern China and their implications for the environment were assessed using quantitative data mainly including phytolith concentration and environmental factors and statistical analyses. Principal component analysis (PCA) of several environmental factors (including the climate, micro terrain, and the physicochemical properties of soils) revealed that other factors being constant, P. communis phytolith concentrations were influenced largely by the average annual temperature and precipitation. Orthogonal experiment analysis and three-way analyses of variance of the concentrations confirmed the reliability of the results of the PCA. More specifically, the concentrations of the saddle and rondel types of phytoliths (the short-cell phytoliths) were closely linked to the average annual temperature whereas those of the elongate, lanceolate, and bulliform phytoliths (the non-short-cell phytoliths) were more sensitive to the variations in water status. The results contribute to further confirming the major environmental implications of phytoliths and, in turn, providing a reference for growth and development of wetland plants. Our findings also provide critical information that could help managers and policymakers assess and modify ecological restoration practices.     

Do soil phytoliths accurately represent plant communities in a temperate region? A case study of Northeast China

Modern soil phytoliths can potentially provide analogues for phytolith assemblages from archaeological and palaeoecological contexts. To assess the reliability of soil phytoliths for representing different plant communities, we analysed phytoliths in surface soils and parent plants at 65 sites representing five types of regional vegetation in Northeast China. The results demonstrated that surface soil phytolith assemblages could clearly differentiate samples from herbaceous and woody communities, and samples from Poaceae and non-Poaceae communities could be separated statistically. In addition, woody communities could be differentiated into a broadleaf-Poaceae community, a broadleaf-non-Poaceae community and a conifer and broadleaf-non-Poaceae community, except for some overlapping samples. Soil phytolith assemblages are thus able to differentiate regional vegetation types into different plant community types. In the present study, soil phytoliths represented about 30% of the phytoliths present in the aboveground vegetation. In addition, soil phytoliths from different communities reflected the aboveground vegetation with slightly different degrees of accuracy, and in addition different morphotypes exhibited different degrees of representational bias. Some morphotypes (e.g. rondel, elongate psilate, lanceolate) overrepresented the abundance of the associated plant taxa; morphotypes such as tracheid, conical epidermal, stomata and others under-represented the original plant richness; and other morphotypes, e.g. saddle, trapeziform sinuate, scutiform, were in good agreement with the numbers of plant taxa in the plot inventory. Thus, any quantitative palaeovegetation reconstruction using phytoliths should begin with the calibration of soil phytolith assemblages. We conclude that our findings provide improved phytolith analogues for different plant communities, with applications in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, and they also provide additional insights into the mechanisms of phytolith production and deposition.     

Do phytoliths play an antiherbivory role in southwest Asian Asteraceae species and to what extent?

Phytoliths (silica bodies) occur in Poaceae species in large numbers and have been shown to have antiherbivory roles. However, phytoliths occur also in many other taxa in much smaller numbers, which raises the question of the extent of both their potential and actual antiherbivory role in these taxa. In order to address the question of their potential antiherbivory role, we sampled 20 wild-growing southwest Asian species of the family Asteraceae, species of which have a much lower phytolith concentrations than Poaceae taxa. We studied the potential positive effect of grazing on phytolith formation and the possible tendency of plants to have higher concentrations of such defence structures in their reproductive organs. We sampled plants from populations of 12 non-spiny and eight spiny species growing in un-grazed and grazed plots in seven sites along a large rainfall gradient (80–900 mm mean annual) in Israel, a region known for its long and intensive grazing history. The study included 21 pairs of un-grazed and grazed plants from 16 of these 20 species. In addition, ten populations of eight species were sampled in order to examine whether phytolith concentrations in the reproductive organs are higher than in vegetative organs. We did not find consistently higher phytolith concentrations in grazed plants compared to un-grazed plants of the same species and habitat (15 species), and in 12 out of 21 pairs of un-grazed and grazed plants (from 15 species) we even found higher phytolith concentrations in un-grazed plants, a phenomenon which was more common in the more arid sites. Phytolith concentrations in inflorescences are commonly (6 out of the 8 species) lower than in the rest of the shoot. We conclude that the antiherbivory potential of phytoliths in the southwest Asian Asteraceae as a group is much smaller than in the Poaceae.     

Grass water stress estimated from phytoliths in West Africa

Aim This study calibrates the relationship between phytolith indices, modern vegetation structure, and a climate parameter (AET/PET, i.e. the ratio of annual actual evapotranspiration to annual potential evapotranspiration), in order to present new proxies for long‐term Quaternary climate and vegetation changes, and model/data comparisons. Location Sixty‐two modern soil surface samples from West Africa (Mauritania and Senegal), collected along a latitudinal transect across four bioclimatic zones, were analysed. Methods Two phytolith indices are defined as normalized data: (1) humidity‐aridity index [Iph (%) = saddle vs. cross + dumbbell + saddle], and (2) water stress index [fan‐shaped index (Fs) (%) = fan‐shaped vs. sum of characteristic phytoliths]. Vegetation structures are delimited according to Iph and Fs boundaries. Bootstrapped regression methods are used for evaluating the strength of the relationship between the two phytolith indices and AET/PET. Additional modern phytolith assemblages, from Mexico, Cameroon and Tanzania are extracted in order to test the calibration established from the West African samples. Accuracy of the AET/PET phytolith proxy is compared with equivalent pollen proxy from the same area. Results Characterization of the grass cover is accurately made through Iph. A boundary of 20 ± 1.4% discriminates tall grass savannas from short grass savannas. Water stress and transpiration experienced by the grass cover can be estimated through Fs. AET/PET is accurately estimated from phytoliths by a transfer function: AET/PET = ?0.605 Fs ? 0.387 Iph + 0.272 (Iph – 20)² (r = 0.80 ± 0.04) in the application domain (AET/PET ranging from 0.1 ± 0.04 to 0.45 ± 0.04). Phytolith and pollen estimate with similar precision (r_pollen = 0.84 ± 0.04) the AET/PET in the studied area. Conclusions This study demonstrates that we can rely on the phytolith indices Iph and Fs to distinguish the different grasslands in tropical areas. Moreover, a new phytolith proxy of AET/PET, linked to water availability, is presented. We suggest from these results that combining phytolith and pollen proxies of AET/PET would help to constrain this climate parameter better, especially when phytolith assemblages are dominated by Panicoideae and Chloridoideae C₄‐grass phytoliths, are devoid of Pooideae C₃‐grass phytoliths, and occur with a few tropical ligneous woody dicotyledon phytoliths. As AET/PET is a bioclimatic indicator commonly used in vegetation models, such a combination would help to make model/data comparisons more efficient.     

内蒙古典型草原禾本科植硅体形态

运用地层中植硅体组合解释过去草原植被及气候变化的关键之一,是要了解研究区现代植硅体形态及表土植硅体组合与现代植被的关系。文中研究内蒙古典型草原禾本科植物根、茎、叶、芒以及种子等不同部位的植硅体,对其中的12种主要禾本科植物叶表皮短细胞硅酸体进行分类及统计。研究表明：内蒙古典型草原禾本科叶表皮短细胞硅酸体可分为8种特殊形态类型。C3植物早熟禾亚科的叶表皮短细胞硅酸体形态多样。几乎所有早熟禾亚科都能产生圆型硅酸体,以贝加尔针茅(85．5％)、大针茅(89．7％)、克氏针茅(90％)以及芨芨草(96．6％)中的圆型硅酸体含量最丰富。针茅哑铃型主要见于针茅植物叶表皮短细胞中,克氏针茅的针茅哑铃型含量相对较高。羊草中未见针茅哑铃型硅酸体。浴草、披缄草叶表皮短细胞硅酸体以齿型为主,分别含87．3％和57．2％,齿型在硬质早熟禾中也占一定比例。沙生冰草中的脊圆型占优势,含74．4％。C3植物早熟禾亚科的叶表皮短细胞产生的截锥型硅酸体含量较少。C4植物虎尾草亚科中的糙隐子草叶表皮短细胞硅酸体以黍哑铃型、简单哑铃型、鞍型为主;黍亚科狗尾草则以黍哑铃型占优势(82．9％)。     

Distinguishing rice (Oryza sativa Poaceae) from wild Oryza species through Phytolith analysis: Results of preliminary research

Asian rice is an important grain, not only in its homeland but in many areas of the world. Identifying rice in the archaeological record is a challenge, especially in the moist tropics, where organic materials preserve only when charred. Phytolith analysis, the identification of opaline silica bodies, provides an alternative method for identifying this important crop. Results of our research suggest thatOryza contributes phytoliths that are genus-specific, that bulliform characteristics alone do not permit separation of wild and domesticatedOryza in regions where species overlap, and that a number of phytolith types, especially silicified glumes, show promise for separating wild from domesticated forms. With further research it should be possible to identify rice through its phytolith assemblage in archaeological soils in the heartland of its domestication and use.     

Morphological characteristics of phytoliths from representative conifers in China

Coniferous phytoliths in sediments are an effective tool for detecting the historical appearance of conifers. However, at the timberline in mountainous areas, such coniferous phytoliths are easily confused with grass phytoliths. This study analyses modern phytoliths from 17 conifer plants. Six common types and six rare types were identified. The conifers studied produce abundant blocky polyhedral and cubic (in the average 30–40 μm size range), blocky scrobiculate (average 30–40 μm), tabular elongate unsculpted (length 50–100 μm, width 10–20 μm), tabular elongate cavate (length 50–150 μm, width ∼10 μm), tabular elongate dendritic (50–100 μm × 10–20 μm), and irregular oblong (20–40 μm) phytoliths. This paper aims to show morphological characteristics of coniferous phytoliths in China, and to show how the common coniferous phytoliths differ from similar grass phytolith types, such as blocky polyhedral coniferous phytoliths from silicified parallelepipedal bulliform cells produced by grass. Blocky polyhedral and cubic phytoliths are the commonest coniferous phytoliths found in the sediments, but need to be carefully distinguished from grass parallelepipedal bulliform cells. This study indicates that clearly protruding ridges and irregular inward edges are essential features of cubic and polyhedral morphotypes produced by conifers. Results of this paper might provide important material for the study of paleovegetation and paleoecology of mountainous areas, especially at the timberline.