Herbaceous phytoliths from forest and grassland in Northeast China: Potential significance for determining past forest–grassland boundaries

Li, Dehui; Jie, Dongmei; Liu, Lidan; Liu, Hongyan; Gao, Guizai; Gao, Zhuo; Li, Nannan

doi:10.1016/j.flora.2018.03.012

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…When our data are compared to those from NE China, a region of broadly similar topography, our study area contains more diagnostic morphotypes of forest assemblages. In China, many of such are dominated by phytoliths of sedges, mainly of conical papillae type (Li et al, 2018), which are poorly preserved in soils as compared to grass phytoliths and which are largely absent from our study area (Gao et al, 2018).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Blinnikov (1994) found the same relationship in his study of phytoliths in modern soils in the alpine zone of Teberda Reserve of NW Causasus in Russia. In a study from NE China, rondels were found to predominate in any non-forested communities, even in those that develop after a forest (Li et al, 2018). However, their main indicator morphotype is bilobates, given the presence of Panicoids in much greater proportion in the regional flora of China.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Phytolith assemblages in modern top soils under plant communities of Northern and Western Altay, Russia

Solomonova¹,

Blinnikov²,

Speranskaja³

et al. 2019

Ukr J Ecol

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We investigated 120 assemblages of phytoliths from modern top soils of 40 different plant communities of Northern and Western Altay region of Russia. The samples were collected from elevations between 360 m and 2360 m above sea level. Using statistical analyses, it was discovered that many communities produce sufficiently distinct assemblages based on standard morphotypes. Specifically we studied 6 kinds of forests (larch, spruce, fir, pine, cedar pine and birch-dominated), 3 kinds of steppes (true, meadow and petrophytic), 5 kinds of meadows (steppe-like, upland dry, wet floodplain, subalpine, alpine), alpine tundra, and mountain shrubland communities. The communities were not evenly sampled, with more redundancy in some types than in others. Using PCA, it was possible to reveal the few morphotypes most responsible for distinguishing different communities, e.g., low conical rondels, rondel sum, long cell sum, lanceolate cells with massive base, and bulliform cell sum.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Phytolith assemblages in modern top soils under plant communities of Northern and Western Altay, Russia

Solomonova¹,

Blinnikov²,

Speranskaja³

et al. 2019

Ukr J Ecol

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show abstract

“…The present study, however, is also important in linking phytolith assemblages to canopy coverage in the subtropical forest of China, with the frequency of grass short-cell phytoliths depending more on canopy coverage than climate factors directly. This explains topsoil phytolith investigations from the temperate forest-steppe ecotone where GSSCP account for 50 ~ 70% of the total phytolith assemblage (e.g., Li D. et al, 2017 , 2018 ; Gao et al, 2018 ). Our analysis also supports the notion that human-induced deforestation may cause an increase in GSSCP that is independent of any climate variable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Phytolith Assemblages as a Promising Tool for Quantitative Canopy Coverage Reconstruction in Subtropical Forests, China

Sack

et al. 2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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This study investigates the reliability of phytolith assemblage analysis for characterizing subtropical vegetation and explores the potential for using these modern phytolith–vegetation relationships for paleoenvironmental interpretation in southeastern China. The samples were collected from five common subtropical vegetation communities in the Daiyun Mountains, southeastern China, with the above-ground vegetation recorded at each plot. Constrained ordination analysis was used to determine the most important factor governing the variations in phytolith assemblages that could be quantitatively reconstructed with weighted averaging partial least squares regression (WAPLS). The relationship between modern phytolith assemblages and the parent vegetation, as well as production, dispersal, and taphonomic processes, was discussed. Results demonstrated that the main subtropical biomes in southeastern China could be well distinguished by soil phytolith assemblages. In particular, the overall amount of tree coverage was well represented by topsoil phytolith assemblages. Grass silica short cell phytoliths (GSSCP) tended to occur in higher proportions in open habitats (shrub-meadow) at higher elevations, whereas non-grass phytolith morphotypes attained higher frequencies under mixed and broadleaf forests at lower elevations. Human-induced deforestation might increase the frequency of GSSCP within the bulk phytolith assemblage. Our results constitute the primary phytolith reference data for the subtropical zone in southeastern Asia where vegetation change during the Holocene period, particularly forest shifts, anthropogenic deforestation, and early agriculture are poorly documented.

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“…The authors confirm this dependence by giving an example of the spectra of both steppe and forest phytocoenoses. Chinese researchers mention that sedge phytoliths may dominate in the spectra of mountain forests (Li et al 2018). The coniferous forests of North America are dominated by the phytoliths of coniferous species (Blinnikov et al 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative analysis of phytolith spectra of steppe and forest phytocoenoses 

Speranskaya¹,

Zhembrovskaya²,

Bobkova³

2021

ABS

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The primary research goal is to identify differences and diagnostic features of the phytolith spectra of the steppe and forest phytocoenoses. The paper presents the research results of recent soils from various communities. The authors employ the phytolith analysis method. The isolation of phytoliths from recent soils has been carried out with the help of the maceration method and from plants – the dry ashing method. The authors counted the phytoliths using the Olympus BX-51 light microscope. Additionally, the authors have compiled the spectra using the 2C software. The paper compares the phytolith spectra of plain and mountain steppe phytocoenoses. The comparison reveals that the considered plain communities are more similar in phytolith composition than the mountain ones. The following morphotypes are common for all spectra: low conical rondel particles and psilate ribbed particles. These are the forms that characterize steppe communities. Analysis of phytolith spectra of the mountain forest communities demonstrates that the presence of ribbed particles of psilate is common for all spectra. The common feature of all forest spectra is the presence of psilate symmetrical particles, polylobate trapeziforms, lanceolates (trichomes) with a massive base, and trapeziform bilobate (“Stipa-type”) particles. In the spectra of all pine forests, there is a low content or complete absence of needle phytoliths. Diagnostic features of individual phytocoenoses have not been found. The most significant is the ratio of individual phytolith forms in the phytolith spectrum. The comparative analysis of phytolith spectra of the phytocoenoses in the south of western Siberia is carried out for the first time.

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Herbaceous phytoliths from forest and grassland in Northeast China: Potential significance for determining past forest–grassland boundaries

Cited by 12 publications

References 50 publications

Phytolith assemblages in modern top soils under plant communities of Northern and Western Altay, Russia

Phytolith assemblages in modern top soils under plant communities of Northern and Western Altay, Russia

Phytolith Assemblages as a Promising Tool for Quantitative Canopy Coverage Reconstruction in Subtropical Forests, China

Comparative analysis of phytolith spectra of steppe and forest phytocoenoses

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Herbaceous phytoliths from forest and grassland in Northeast China: Potential significance for determining past forest–grassland boundaries

Cited by 12 publications

References 50 publications

Phytolith assemblages in modern top soils under plant communities of Northern and Western Altay, Russia

Phytolith assemblages in modern top soils under plant communities of Northern and Western Altay, Russia

Phytolith Assemblages as a Promising Tool for Quantitative Canopy Coverage Reconstruction in Subtropical Forests, China

Comparative analysis of phytolith spectra&nbsp;of steppe and forest phytocoenoses&nbsp;

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Comparative analysis of phytolith spectra of steppe and forest phytocoenoses