The production of phytolith‐occluded carbon in China's forests: implications to biogeochemical carbon sequestration

The persistent terrestrial carbon sink regulates long‐term climate change, but its size, location, and mechanisms remain uncertain. One of the most promising terrestrial biogeochemical carbon sequestration mechanisms is the occlusion of carbon within phytoliths, the silicified features that deposit within plant tissues. Using phytolith content–biogenic silica content transfer function obtained from our investigation, in combination with published silica content and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) data of leaf litter and herb layer in China's forests, we estimated the production of phytolith‐occluded carbon (PhytOC) in China's forests. The present annual phytolith carbon sink in China's forests is 1.7 ± 0.4 Tg CO₂ yr ^{? 1}, 30% of which is contributed by bamboo because the production flux of PhytOC through tree leaf litter for bamboo is 3–80 times higher than that of other forest types. As a result of national and international bamboo afforestation and reforestation, the potential of phytolith carbon sink for China's forests and world's bamboo can reach 6.8 ± 1.5 and 27.0 ± 6.1 Tg CO₂ yr^?1, respectively. Forest management practices such as bamboo afforestation and reforestation may significantly enhance the long‐term terrestrial carbon sink and contribute to mitigation of global climate warming.     

东北地区芦苇植硅体形态的空间差异

笔者对东北地区12个样点的芦苇叶片的植硅体进行了分析,探讨了芦苇植硅体在空间上的分布规律,揭示芦苇植硅体的环境指示意义,为定量恢复古环境提供参考。实验结果表明:12个样点中芦苇植硅体基本类型相同,共有5种主要植硅体类型,即中鞍型、帽型、芦苇扇型、尖型和棒型;但芦苇植硅体的浓度随着纬度的变化而相应的发生变化。总体来说,纬度较低的样点芦苇植硅体的浓度较大,而纬度较高的样点芦苇植硅体的浓度相对较小;随着纬度的变化,芦苇的特征植硅体中鞍型的浓度也呈现波状变化,牡丹江以南的几个样点中鞍型植硅体浓度相对较大,9、10两个月牡丹江以北的几个样点中鞍型植硅体浓度迅速减少。芦苇扇型植硅体则呈现出纬度较高的样点植硅体浓度较大,纬度较低的样点植硅体浓度较小的特点,芦苇扇型植硅体的空间变化规律与扇型植硅体的不同。     

Phytolith‐rich biochar: A potential Si fertilizer in desilicated soils

Silicon (Si) is beneficial to plants since it increases photosynthetic efficiency, and alleviates biotic and abiotic stresses. In the most highly weathered and desilicated soils, plant phytoliths make up the reservoir of bioavailable Si. The regular removal of crop residues, however, substantially decreases this pool. Si supply may therefore be required to sustain continuous cropping. Available Si fertilizers are costly and usually poor in soluble Si. Biochar produced from the pyrolysis of phytolith‐rich biomass is thus a promising alternative Si source for plants. Taking into account the challenges of increasing food demand and environmental concerns, we evaluate the global potential of biochar produced from major crop residues and manures in terms of phytogenic Si (PhSi) supply. Crop residues contribute to 80% of the global production of biomass dry matter (8,201 Tg/year) of which 3,137 Tg/year are potentially available after pyrolysis, giving a potential application rate of 1.7 T ha^?1 year^?1 for highly weathered soils in the tropics. The potential PhSi supply from crop biochar amounts to 102 Tg Si/year. On its own, rice straws produce 57.7 Tg PhSi/year, accounting for 56.6% of the potential annual PhSi production. The Si release from crop biochar depends on inter altere feedstock type, pyrolysis temperature, soil pH, and buffer capacity. Furthermore, the amplitude of plant Si uptake and mineralomass depends on plant species, soil properties, and processes. These factors interact and can exert a decisive influence on the effectiveness of phytolithic biochar in releasing Si into highly weathered soils. We conclude that the use of phytolithic biochar as a Si fertilizer offers undeniable potential to mitigate desilication and to enhance Si ecological services due to soil weathering and biomass removal. This potential must be explored, as well as the conditions for using biochar in the field.     

扁穗苔属植物硅酸体系统及其系统分类学的研究

以国产莎草科扁穗苔属 ( Blysmocarex cyperaceae)分布区内 30个居群硅酸体系统分析结果 ,结合植物形态学和植物生态地理学特征 ,深入探讨了广义的大花扁穗苔复合种 ( Blysmocarex macrantha complex)内类群系统演化与生境地理之间的关系。认为大花扁穗苔由 3个近缘的水平地理替代亚种构成 :subsp.macrantha、subsp.nudicarpa( Y.C.Yang) D.S.Deng、subsp.stolonifera( Wang ex Li) D.S.Deng;在地理空间上此三者具有较为明显的水平地理空间替代性。同时 ,认为 Ivanova( 1 939)建立扁穗苔属是具有合理性的     

Taxonomic assessment of opal phytoliths from grasses of deltaic West Bengal,India

In the present study, taxonomic potential of opal phytoliths was examined in grasses from lower Gangetic delta, West Bengal, India. The study revealed that finer classification of phytoliths can increase the efficacy of opal silica as taxonomic proxy by minimizing the influences of multiplicity and redundancy. We isolated 187 phytolith sub‐morphotypes, categorized under 10 major groups, from 110 grass species belonging to 45 genera, 21 sub‐tribes, 13 tribes and 7 subfamilies. Cluster and correspondence analyses showed that all the significantly represented subfamilies can be clearly distinguished on the basis of either principal morphotypes or sub‐morphotypes. However, genus/species level discrimination may only be possible by deploying phytolith based identification key developed by utilizing detailed grass phytolith micro‐morphometry and frequency attributes. We conclude that grass phytolith characteristics provide useful and significant information for distinguishing grass taxa of deltaic West Bengal.     

绿竹和麻竹地上部植硅体碳封存潜力

可以在土壤中稳定存在数千年甚至上万年之久的植硅体碳(phytolith-occluded organic carbon,PhytOC)是陆地植物生态系统长期碳封存的重要机制之一。选取福建南靖地区绿竹(Dendrocalamopsis oldhami(Munro)Keng f.)和麻竹(Dendrocalamus latiflorus Munro)两种重要丛生竹为研究对象,采集其竹叶、竹枝和竹秆样品,用微波消解法提取植硅体,采用碱溶法测定植硅体中碳含量,以比较两种丛生竹的植硅体碳封存潜力和封存速率。结果表明:绿竹和麻竹林地上部不同器官中Si含量变幅分别为4.95—37.53 g/kg和2.01—34.05 g/kg,植硅体含量变幅分别为3.35—100.80 g/kg和1.57—84.06 g/kg,两者地上部不同器官中的含量大小顺序均为叶枝秆。绿竹和麻竹林地上部不同器官干物质中的植硅体碳含量变幅分别为0.51—2.85 g/kg和0.17—2.22 g/kg。绿竹和麻竹林地上部PhytOC储量变幅分别为5.1—13.9 kg/hm~2和1.2—6.3 kg/hm~2。绿竹和麻竹地上植株不同器官中的最高PhytOC储量分别为枝和叶。绿竹和麻竹地上部PhytOC总储量分别为24.3 kg/hm~2和11.1 kg/hm~2。绿竹和麻竹林地上部PhytOC封存速率分别为0.051—0.131 t-e-CO_2hm~(-2)a~(-1)和0.0099—0.0139 t-e-CO_2hm~(-2)a~(-1),以绿竹和麻竹的最高PhytOC封存速率计算,我国绿竹林和麻竹林的地上植株部每年可分别封存1965.29 t CO_2和1520.11 t CO_2。     

热带、亚热带典型森林-土壤系统植硅体碳演变规律

分别选取中国亚热带毛竹林、马尾松林、青冈林、杉木林和热带青梅林、芭蕉林、橡胶林、马占相思林8种森林类型,采集其鲜叶、凋落叶以及0～10和10～30 cm土层土壤,通过微波消解法提取其中的植硅体,并采用碱溶法测定植硅体中碳含量.结果表明: 4种亚热带森林类型鲜叶、凋落叶和0～10 cm土层中植硅体碳含量均以马尾松林(230.24、229.17、20.87 g·kg^-1)最高,毛竹林(30.55、37.37、3.38 g·kg^-1)最低,10～30 cm土层则以青冈林(18.54 g·kg^-1)最高,毛竹林(2.90 g·kg^-1)最低.热带森林鲜叶中植硅体碳含量以马占相思林(377.66 g·kg^-1)最高,青梅林(46.83 g·kg^-1)最低,凋落叶中则是橡胶林(218.23 g·kg^-1)最高,芭蕉林(27.66 g·kg^-1)最低,而0～10和10～30 cm土层土壤中均以马占相思林(23.84、24.90 g·kg^-1)最高,芭蕉林(3.89、3.93 g·kg^-1)最低.与0～10 cm表层土相比,杉木林、青冈林、马尾松林、毛竹林、橡胶林、马占相思林、芭蕉林和青梅林鲜叶植硅体碳含量分别下降97.4%、94.9%、90.9%、88.9%、95.9%、93.7%、93.3%和63.7%.青冈林、芭蕉林和马占相思林鲜叶植硅体碳含量显著高于凋落叶,而毛竹林、马尾松林、杉木林、青梅林和橡胶林之间无显著差异.8种森林类型土壤植硅体碳含量均显著低于鲜叶和凋落叶,表明植硅体在通过凋落物释放到土壤的过程中是不稳定的.     

Definition of grassland biomes from phytoliths in West Africa

Aim In order to enhance the effectiveness of comparisons between modelled and empirical data for present and past vegetation, it is important to improve the characterization of tropical grass‐dominated biomes reconstructed from fossil tracers. This study presents a method for assigning phytolith assemblages to tropical grass‐dominated biomes, with the objective of offering a new tool for combining pollen and phytolith data in the reconstruction of tropical biomes. Location The West African latitudinal transect studied here extends from 12° N (southern Senegal) to 23° N (southern Mauritania), passing through the Guinean, Sudanian, Sahelian and Saharan bioclimatic zones. Methods Modern phytolith assemblages were extracted from 59 soil surface samples taken throughout the study area and allocated, a priori, to three current biomes: (1) desert C₄ grassland, (2) short grass savanna, and (3) tall grass savanna. Five out of nine phytolith types identified were used as predictors in a discriminant analysis (with calibration and validation steps) for assigning phytolith assemblages to biomes. In addition, 74 modern pollen spectra from the West African transect, acquired from the African Pollen Database ( http://medias.obs‐mip.fr/apd ), were processed by the biomization method. This mathematical procedure involves assigning palynological taxa to one or more plant functional types, which represent broad classes of plants. The plant functional types, in turn, are combined to define biomes following a specific set of algorithms and rules. The resulting maps of the phytolith biomes thus derived were compared with maps of pollen biomes and of contemporary ecosystem classes. Results In the calibration and validation steps, 91.5% and up to 83%, respectively, of the phytolith samples were assigned to the correct biome. The short grass savanna and tall grass savanna biomes were assigned with similar accuracy by both the phytolith and pollen biomization methods, but the phytolith method gave substantially superior results for the desert C₄ grassland biome, providing seven out of seven correct assignments, compared with just one out of four by pollen biomization. Comparisons between an existing ecosystem map and the maps created from phytolith estimation showed close correspondence for desert C₄ grassland, short grass savanna and tall grass savanna, the latter providing correct assignments in 88, 62 and 91% of cases, respectively. Main conclusions The phytolith discriminant analysis method presented here accurately estimates three C₄ grass‐dominated biomes that are widespread in West Africa. Complementarities between the phytolith method and pollen biomization are highlighted. Combining complementary phytolith and pollen data would provide more accurate assignments of C₄ grass‐dominated biomes than pollen biomization alone.     

Human dental microwear caused by calcium oxalate phytoliths in prehistoric diet of the lower Pecos region,Texas

Recent research demonstrates that silica phytoliths of dietary origin are associated with microwear of human teeth. Previous research has shown that severe enamel microwear and dental wear characterizes Archaic hunter-gatherers in the lower Pecos region of west Texas. Calcium oxalate crystals are especially common in Archaic coprolites. The vast majority are derived from prickly pear and agave, which were the dietary staples in west Texas for 6,000 years. The calcium oxalate phytoliths are harder than enamel. Therefore, calcium oxalate crystals are the most likely source of previously documented dental microwear and wear in the lower Pecos region. Am J Phys Anthropol 107:297–304, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

吉林敦化地区全新世泥炭沉积中植硅体分析

通过敦化吉祥泥炭沉积中的植硅体分析发现,该剖面中植硅体含量丰富,分类特征比较明显。该地泥炭中植硅体组合以示冷型植硅体占优势,温暖指数比较低,反映气候呈寒冷型,期间曾发生4次气候波动。此次研究以泥炭为信息载体,为恢复古环境、古气候演变提供了又一重要的途径。