Phytoliths are extensively utilized as an archaeobotanical indicator in paleovegetation reconstruction and environmental archaeology. Over the past two decades, numerous phytolith morphotypes, particularly those exhib...Phytoliths are extensively utilized as an archaeobotanical indicator in paleovegetation reconstruction and environmental archaeology. Over the past two decades, numerous phytolith morphotypes, particularly those exhibiting diagnostic morphological features and over representative of source plants at the genus and species levels, were discovered and reported. These advancements have significantly contributed to phytolith-based vegetation reconstruction on different timescales, enhanced our understanding of prehistoric plant utilization, and elucidated cultivation and domestication processes of key crops in ancient agriculture. However, there are still inconsistencies and misunderstandings regarding the morphological characteristics of diagnostic phytoliths in various plant groups. This review highlighted the standardization in the classification and description of phytolith morphotypes, and summarized the advancements in phytolith morphology research over the past two decades. Morphological illustrations of diagnostic phytoliths from various plant groups, particularly key crops and their relatives from dryland and rice agriculture in East Asia, were presented as references for phytolith identification and application. Finally, this review proposes future directions for phytolith morphological studies, emphasizing the comprehensive consideration of anatomical structure and morphometric parameters, as well as the need for extensive research on modern plant phytoliths and control experiments on phytolith growth.展开更多
Mostly fed with grass in fresh or conserved form,cattle and other livestock have to cope with silicate defence bodies from plants(phytoliths)and environmental silicates(grit),which abrade tooth enamel and could additi...Mostly fed with grass in fresh or conserved form,cattle and other livestock have to cope with silicate defence bodies from plants(phytoliths)and environmental silicates(grit),which abrade tooth enamel and could additionally interact with various salivary proteins.To detect potential candidates for silicate-binding proteins,bovine whole saliva was incubated with grass-derived phytoliths and silicates.Interactions of salivary proteins with pulverized bovine dental enamel and dentine were additionally analysed.After intense washing,the powder fractions were loaded onto 1D-polyacrylamide gels,most prominent adhesive protein bands were cut out and proteins were identified by mass spectrometry within three independent replicates.All materials were mainly bound by bovine odorant-binding protein,bovine salivary protein 30×10^(3) and carbonic anhydrase VI.The phytolith/silicate fraction showed additional stronger interaction with haemoglobinβand lactoperoxidase.Conceivably,the binding of these proteins to the surfaces may contribute to biological processes occurring on them.展开更多
Mostly fed with grass in fresh or conserved form, cattle and other livestock have to cope with silicate defence bodies from plants （phytoliths） and environmental silicates （grit）, which abrade tooth enamel and cou...Mostly fed with grass in fresh or conserved form, cattle and other livestock have to cope with silicate defence bodies from plants （phytoliths） and environmental silicates （grit）, which abrade tooth enamel and could additionally interact with various salivary proteins. To detect potential candidates for silicate-binding proteins, bovine whole saliva was incubated with grass-derived phytoliths and silicates. Interactions of salivary proteins with pulverized bovine dental enamel and dentine were additionally analysed. After intense washing, the powder fractions were loaded onto 1D-polyacrylamide gels, most prominent adhesive protein bands were cut out and proteins were identified by mass spectrometry within three independent replicates. All materials were mainly botmd by bovine odorant-binding protein, bovine salivary protein 30× 10^3 and carbonic anhydrase VI. The phytolith/silicate fraction showed additional stronger interaction with haemoglobin β and lactoperoxidase. Conceivably, the binding of these proteins to the surfaces may contribute to biological processes occurring on them.展开更多
The Baikal Group is one of the most important stratigraphic units in the geology of East Siberia (Upper Riphean). This paper focuses on litological-facies features based on the analysis of organic remains (stromatolit...The Baikal Group is one of the most important stratigraphic units in the geology of East Siberia (Upper Riphean). This paper focuses on litological-facies features based on the analysis of organic remains (stromatolites, microphitolites and microfossils), in order to better precise the age and environmental deposit conditions of the Baikal Group. The results are used to draw a correlation between all the Precambrian of deposits of the South of East Siberia. The stratigraphy of the Baikal Group is then compared to the geodynamic evolution of this region, characterized by the break-up of the supercontinent Rodinia and subsequent opening of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. Stratigraphic analogs to the Baikal Group display in most areas deposits of various minerals (complex ores, phosphoresces, bauxites etc. have been dated of the same age), so the present study would also provides an economic interest.展开更多
The contribution of phytoliths to total biogenic silica(BSi) volumes in rivers worldwide,and the associated implications for the biogeochemical cycle,require in-depth study.Based on samples from rivers in Peninsular M...The contribution of phytoliths to total biogenic silica(BSi) volumes in rivers worldwide,and the associated implications for the biogeochemical cycle,require in-depth study.Based on samples from rivers in Peninsular Malaysia,this project investigated the source and characteristics of B Si found in Asian tropical rivers,as well as the process of reverse weathering taking place in these fluvial systems.Results indicated that BSi samples collected in sediments consisted of phytolith,diatom and sponge spicules.Phytoliths,predominantly of the elongate form,comprised 92.8%-98.3% of BSi in the Pahang River.Diatom BSi in this river consisted mainly of pennatae diatoms,but represented a relatively small proportion of the total BSi volume.However,diatom BSi(predominantly of the Centricae form) was more prevalent in the Pontian and Endau Rivers with shares of 68.8% and 79.3% of the total BSi volumes,respectively,than Pahang River.Carbon contents of the BSi particulates ranged from 1.85% to 10.8% with an average of 4.79%.These values are higher than those recorded in other studies to date,and indicate that BSi plays a major role in controlling permanent carbon burial.This study suggests that phytoliths from terrestrial plants are the primary constituents of BSi in the rivers of Peninsular Malaysia,and therefore represent a significant proportion of the coastal silica budget.展开更多
Phytoliths take the shape and size of the cells from which they are formed.They are microscopic and composed of opal silica—SiO<sub>2</sub> and other traces of Al, Fe,Mn,P,Cu,N and organic carbon.Phytolit...Phytoliths take the shape and size of the cells from which they are formed.They are microscopic and composed of opal silica—SiO<sub>2</sub> and other traces of Al, Fe,Mn,P,Cu,N and organic carbon.Phytoliths are present in the roots,leaves,stem and the rest parts of the plant body including inflorescences.The shapes of phytolith can be used to determine the taxonomy of the plants,which may be dumbbell,squares,rectangular,展开更多
The Changbai Mountains,located in the temperate monsoon climate zone of East Asia,is an ideal loca-tion for the research on timberline response to global changes.In this study,the topsoils were collected from differen...The Changbai Mountains,located in the temperate monsoon climate zone of East Asia,is an ideal loca-tion for the research on timberline response to global changes.In this study,the topsoils were collected from different vertical vegetation zones on the northern slope of the Changbai Mountains,Northeast China in August 2009,and phytoliths in the soil samples were extracted by using wet oxidation method and identified with Motic 2.0 microscope in laboratory.The results show that phytoliths are abundant in the topsoils of the study area.The herbal phytoliths are primarily composed of elongated,tooth-shaped,point-shaped and hat-shaped phytoliths,as well as a small amount of fan-shaped and square-shaped ones.The elongated,tooth-shaped,point-shaped and hat-shaped phytoliths are representative of cold climate,while fan-shaped and square-shaped ones are representative of warm and humid climate.In the conifer broadleaved mixed forest zone,coniferous forest zone and broadleaf forest zone,there are close correlations between vegetation and woody phytoliths in the topsoils,indicating that the woody plants of a region can be reconstructed from the woody phytolith assemblages in the topsoils.Meanwhile,the topsoil phytolith assemblages can also be used to reconstruct the understory herbs effectively.The phytolith assemblages in the topsoils of the forest community and herbal community differ significantly,which can help indicate the historical location of the timberline.展开更多
Elemental information carried by phytoliths plays a crucial indicative role in geochemical research.For instance,it serves as an indicator of the carbon pool effect in phytoliths and aids in the elucidation of silicon...Elemental information carried by phytoliths plays a crucial indicative role in geochemical research.For instance,it serves as an indicator of the carbon pool effect in phytoliths and aids in the elucidation of silicon sources.However,early extraction methods for soil phytoliths primarily focused on obtaining their morphological and quantitative information,lacking efficient techniques for quantitative elemental analysis.In this study,we aimed to extract Si/Al information from soil phytoliths.Considering the need for complete extraction of phytolith,six extraction methods were developed and further by alkaline dissolution to determine Si/Al.Six methods were compared in terms of enrichment capacity,the weight of extracted phytoliths,and Si/Al differences.The results indicated that the addition of Ammonia-Catechol in the commonly used heavy liquid flotation method effectively improved phytolith extraction capability and the accuracy of Si/Al results.Additionally,the inclusion of an acetic acid step before alkaline dissolution further removed surface-adsorbed impurities and enhanced the analytical quality of Si/Al in phytolith.The comparison of the data in this study with other published data shows that our method is relatively robust.The improved method proposed in this study can provide a new idea for the quantitative analysis of other elements in soil phytoliths.展开更多
Pterosaurs,a group of extinct reptiles from the Mesozoic Era,were the earliest vertebrates to evolve powered flight capabilities.Among the several questions surrounding these flying reptiles is their dietary habits,wh...Pterosaurs,a group of extinct reptiles from the Mesozoic Era,were the earliest vertebrates to evolve powered flight capabilities.Among the several questions surrounding these flying reptiles is their dietary habits,which remain poorly understood,and research on this subject is ongoing[1].Various dietary hypotheses have been proposed for different pterosaur groups,encompassing insectivory,piscivory,carnivory,durophagy,herbivory/frugivory,filter-feeding,and generalist diets,with different interpretations,mainly based on morphology,which in some cases sparked controversy[1].As widely acknowledged,an incontrovertible piece of evidence is stomach contents,which,unfortunately,are extremely rare.展开更多
Comparative studies on phytolith morphology between wild rice(Oryza rufipogon)and domesticated rice(Oryza sativa)have provided a fundamental basis for examining rice domestication traits and their evolutionary pathway...Comparative studies on phytolith morphology between wild rice(Oryza rufipogon)and domesticated rice(Oryza sativa)have provided a fundamental basis for examining rice domestication traits and their evolutionary pathways.To investigate the taxonomic significance of modern rice phytoliths,this study conducted systematic morphometric and statistical evaluations on cuneiform bulliform,double-peaked husk,and bilobate phytoliths of wild rice and two domesticated rice subspecies,japonica(O.sativa subsp.japonica'Ganningjing No.1')and indica(O.sativa subsp.indica'CNR213'),cultivated in Wuhan experimental fields.The findings revealed the following:(1)The number of fish-scale facets on cuneiform bulliform phytoliths and the morphology of double-peaked husk and bilobate phytoliths effectively differentiated wild rice from domesticated rice at the species level.Specifically,the cuneiform bulliform phytoliths with≥9 fish-scale facets were 6%,40%,and67%for wild,japonica,and indica rice,respectively.The shank length(a)and notch width(b)of bilobate phytoliths,as well as the top width(TW),middle width(MW),height(H),and curve depth(CD)of double-peaked husk phytoliths in domesticated rice,were smaller than those in wild rice.The morphometric features of the bilobate phytoliths demonstrate their potential as novel indicators for distinguishing wild rice from domesticated rice.(2)At the subspecies level,morphological variations were observed in the phytoliths of japonica and indica rice.Specifically,the flat ratio(B/A,where B and A are the non-base portion length and base portion length of cuneiform bulliform phytoliths,respectively)and fish-scale facet number of cuneiform bulliform phytoliths in japonica rice were lower than those in indica rice,but the horizontal(HL)and vertical length(VL)of japonica rice were greater than those of indica rice.This study provides phytolith-based evidence for the classification and identification of modern rice and offers valuable insights for identifying rice phytolith traits from archaeological sites and for understanding the domestication and evolutionary pathways of rice.Considering the limited variety of rice types included in this study,future research should investigate more rice species to create a comprehensive morphometric classification system for phytolith analyses.展开更多
A study on phytoliths and their climate indexes is carried out from Homo erectus?cave deposits in HuluCave, Nanjing. Evidence shows that phytolith assemblages of the cave deposits are dominated by the cold resistant t...A study on phytoliths and their climate indexes is carried out from Homo erectus?cave deposits in HuluCave, Nanjing. Evidence shows that phytolith assemblages of the cave deposits are dominated by the cold resistant types with a lower warm index, reflecting an overall cold inclined climate. This possibly connects the cave deposits with glacial climate to a great extent, which is in accordance with thenorthern fauna revealed by fossil mammals and temperateclimate indicated by pollen assemblages. According to the distributional state of the phytoliths and their climate in-dexes on 4 profiles in the cave, it is revealed that profiles Ⅰand Ⅱ display certain cold/warm, and dry/wet fluctuations; profile Ⅲ shows a humid and cold condition with the high-est humility in the cave deposits; while profile Ⅳ indicates a possible quick accumulating process because of its stableclimate indexes except for its bottom and top.展开更多
The analysis of carbon isotope in phytoliths from modern plants and surface soils in China shows that the values of carbon isotope are consistent with those from C3 and C4 plants, and the processes of photosynthesis o...The analysis of carbon isotope in phytoliths from modern plants and surface soils in China shows that the values of carbon isotope are consistent with those from C3 and C4 plants, and the processes of photosynthesis of the original plants can be clearly identified by carbon isotope in phytoliths. The value of carbon isotope varied from -23.8‰ to -28‰, with the maximum distributed in the latitude zone from 34°N to 40°N in North China and East China areas, and the minimum in the Northeast China and South China regions. The values of carbon of phytoliths tend to increase from low to high and then reduce to low value again as the latitude increases. In the same latitude zone, the carbon isotope in phytoliths from grassland soil under the trees is obviously lower than that from grassland soil without any trees with the difference of 1‰ - 2‰.展开更多
The neolithic ruins of rice cultivation play an important role in the study on origin,evolution and propagation of cultivated rice. There are more than one hundred neolithicsites in China. where the ruins of rice have...The neolithic ruins of rice cultivation play an important role in the study on origin,evolution and propagation of cultivated rice. There are more than one hundred neolithicsites in China. where the ruins of rice have been found. and 80 percent of them and allthe earlier ones (Hemudu and LuoJiajiao. about 7 ka B.P.: Pengtoushan. about 7.5—9 kaB. P.) are distributed over the areas of the Yangtze River. Are there the earlier. cultivatedrice in the areas of the Yellow River and Huaihe River? This problem has received展开更多
The characteristics of phytoliths in Leymus chinensis leaves from five different pH-value habitats from Songnen Plain in China were analyzed to reveal their environmental implications and possible use for quantitative...The characteristics of phytoliths in Leymus chinensis leaves from five different pH-value habitats from Songnen Plain in China were analyzed to reveal their environmental implications and possible use for quantitative reconstruction of the paleoenvironment. The phytoliths in leaves of L. chinensis from the five habitats showed a non-linear correlation with soil pH. The main types of phytoliths from the different habitats were exactly the same, including silicified stomata, hat-shaped, lanceolate, elongated, multilateral-plate, and tooth-shaped. However, there were significant differences in the contents of each shape of phytoliths among the five habitats. The amount and the volume of weakly tooth-shaped, lanceolate phytoliths and silicified stomata increased with increased pH, while the total amount of phytoliths was reduced. In addition, there were different types of phytoliths in the L. chinensis leaves from the five habitats of different pH, suggesting that the types of phytoliths were controlled, at least in part, by soil pH. The changes of size and percentage of phytoliths were most remarkable at pH 10.15–10.18, indicating that this is the highest pH value that L. chinensis can tolerate.展开更多
Rice is a well-known silicon accumulator. During its periods of growth, a great number of phytoliths are formed by taking up silica via the plant roots. Concurrently, carbon in those phytoliths is sequestrated by a me...Rice is a well-known silicon accumulator. During its periods of growth, a great number of phytoliths are formed by taking up silica via the plant roots. Concurrently, carbon in those phytoliths is sequestrated by a mechanism of long-term biogeochemical processes within the plant. Phytolith occluded C （PhytOC） is very stable and can be retained in soil for longer than a millennium. In this study, we evaluated the carbon bio- sequestration within the phytoliths produced in rice seed husks of 35 rice cultivars, with the goal of finding rice cultivars with relatively higher phytolith carbon sequestra- tion efficiencies. The results showed that the phytolith contents ranged from 71.6 mg. g^-1 to 150.1 mg. g^-1, and the PhytOC contents ranged from 6.4 mg.g^-1 to 38.4 mg.g^-1, suggesting that there was no direct correlation between the PhytOC content and the content of rice seed husk phytoliths （R = 0.092, p 〉 0.05）. Of all rice cultivars, six showed a higher carbon sequestration efficiency in phytolith seed husks. Additionally, the carbon bio- sequestration within the rice seed husk phytoliths was approximately 0.45-3.46 kg-e-CO2-ha^-1. yr^-1. These rates indicate that rice cultivars are a potential source of carbon biosequestration which could contribute to the global carbon cycle and climate change.展开更多
The analysis of wild rice cell structures,tissues,organs,and other morphological characteristics and the development of identification markers for wild rice are the basis for identifying the origins and evolution of p...The analysis of wild rice cell structures,tissues,organs,and other morphological characteristics and the development of identification markers for wild rice are the basis for identifying the origins and evolution of prehistorical rice agriculture.However,contemporary wild rice strains are often subject to gene introgression from domesticated rice cultivated by humans during the evolutionary process,which may affect the accuracy of wild rice identification markers.This means that how to eliminate the effects of gene introgression from domesticated rice and other plants on the identification of origin markers,and the purification of the morphological characteristics of wild rice have become critical in research to identify the origin of rice.In this study,we compared and analysed the phytolith morphologies of three common wild rice species(Oryza rufipogon Griff.)from various habitats and one species of ectopically preserved homozygous common wild rice after six consecutive generations of self-crossing.We found that the morphology of the bulliform phytolith in the homozygous wild rice with reduced domestication gene introgression had three significant differences compared with native wild rice:(1)an overall reduction in size(body length decreased from 41.9μm in VLnativeto 38.6μm in VLhomozygous);(2)an increase in the proportion of the long-stalked phenotype,with the ratio of B/A decreasing from 1.22±0.47 in B/Anativeto 0.92±0.30 in B/Ahomozygous;and(3)a decrease in the number of fish-scale decorations,with the proportion of bulliform phytoliths with≥9 fish-scale decorations reduced from 53.4%in native wild rice to 37.2%in homozygous wild rice.Thus,this study provides a reliable reference for the identification of rice origins using rice phytolith morphology.展开更多
THE application of phytolith study in geology in the world has experienced a history of over 30 years. The earliest application of phytolith study to marine geology was made by Smithson when he made a study on the sub...THE application of phytolith study in geology in the world has experienced a history of over 30 years. The earliest application of phytolith study to marine geology was made by Smithson when he made a study on the submarine sediments in Leigwy Bay. Later, he made the analysis of phytoliths in the neritic sediments in Ariake Bay in Kyushu, Japan. Dumitrica analysed the phytoliths in the cores drilled in the Mediterranean Sea. Phytoliths in the deepsea展开更多
文摘Phytoliths are extensively utilized as an archaeobotanical indicator in paleovegetation reconstruction and environmental archaeology. Over the past two decades, numerous phytolith morphotypes, particularly those exhibiting diagnostic morphological features and over representative of source plants at the genus and species levels, were discovered and reported. These advancements have significantly contributed to phytolith-based vegetation reconstruction on different timescales, enhanced our understanding of prehistoric plant utilization, and elucidated cultivation and domestication processes of key crops in ancient agriculture. However, there are still inconsistencies and misunderstandings regarding the morphological characteristics of diagnostic phytoliths in various plant groups. This review highlighted the standardization in the classification and description of phytolith morphotypes, and summarized the advancements in phytolith morphology research over the past two decades. Morphological illustrations of diagnostic phytoliths from various plant groups, particularly key crops and their relatives from dryland and rice agriculture in East Asia, were presented as references for phytolith identification and application. Finally, this review proposes future directions for phytolith morphological studies, emphasizing the comprehensive consideration of anatomical structure and morphometric parameters, as well as the need for extensive research on modern plant phytoliths and control experiments on phytolith growth.
基金This research was supported by the German Research Foundation(DFG,SU 124/15-1).
文摘Mostly fed with grass in fresh or conserved form,cattle and other livestock have to cope with silicate defence bodies from plants(phytoliths)and environmental silicates(grit),which abrade tooth enamel and could additionally interact with various salivary proteins.To detect potential candidates for silicate-binding proteins,bovine whole saliva was incubated with grass-derived phytoliths and silicates.Interactions of salivary proteins with pulverized bovine dental enamel and dentine were additionally analysed.After intense washing,the powder fractions were loaded onto 1D-polyacrylamide gels,most prominent adhesive protein bands were cut out and proteins were identified by mass spectrometry within three independent replicates.All materials were mainly bound by bovine odorant-binding protein,bovine salivary protein 30×10^(3) and carbonic anhydrase VI.The phytolith/silicate fraction showed additional stronger interaction with haemoglobinβand lactoperoxidase.Conceivably,the binding of these proteins to the surfaces may contribute to biological processes occurring on them.
基金supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG, SU 124/15-1)
文摘Mostly fed with grass in fresh or conserved form, cattle and other livestock have to cope with silicate defence bodies from plants （phytoliths） and environmental silicates （grit）, which abrade tooth enamel and could additionally interact with various salivary proteins. To detect potential candidates for silicate-binding proteins, bovine whole saliva was incubated with grass-derived phytoliths and silicates. Interactions of salivary proteins with pulverized bovine dental enamel and dentine were additionally analysed. After intense washing, the powder fractions were loaded onto 1D-polyacrylamide gels, most prominent adhesive protein bands were cut out and proteins were identified by mass spectrometry within three independent replicates. All materials were mainly botmd by bovine odorant-binding protein, bovine salivary protein 30× 10^3 and carbonic anhydrase VI. The phytolith/silicate fraction showed additional stronger interaction with haemoglobin β and lactoperoxidase. Conceivably, the binding of these proteins to the surfaces may contribute to biological processes occurring on them.
文摘The Baikal Group is one of the most important stratigraphic units in the geology of East Siberia (Upper Riphean). This paper focuses on litological-facies features based on the analysis of organic remains (stromatolites, microphitolites and microfossils), in order to better precise the age and environmental deposit conditions of the Baikal Group. The results are used to draw a correlation between all the Precambrian of deposits of the South of East Siberia. The stratigraphy of the Baikal Group is then compared to the geodynamic evolution of this region, characterized by the break-up of the supercontinent Rodinia and subsequent opening of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. Stratigraphic analogs to the Baikal Group display in most areas deposits of various minerals (complex ores, phosphoresces, bauxites etc. have been dated of the same age), so the present study would also provides an economic interest.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.41106072,41376093)the International Collaboration Science Plan(No.GASI-01-02-01-04)
文摘The contribution of phytoliths to total biogenic silica(BSi) volumes in rivers worldwide,and the associated implications for the biogeochemical cycle,require in-depth study.Based on samples from rivers in Peninsular Malaysia,this project investigated the source and characteristics of B Si found in Asian tropical rivers,as well as the process of reverse weathering taking place in these fluvial systems.Results indicated that BSi samples collected in sediments consisted of phytolith,diatom and sponge spicules.Phytoliths,predominantly of the elongate form,comprised 92.8%-98.3% of BSi in the Pahang River.Diatom BSi in this river consisted mainly of pennatae diatoms,but represented a relatively small proportion of the total BSi volume.However,diatom BSi(predominantly of the Centricae form) was more prevalent in the Pontian and Endau Rivers with shares of 68.8% and 79.3% of the total BSi volumes,respectively,than Pahang River.Carbon contents of the BSi particulates ranged from 1.85% to 10.8% with an average of 4.79%.These values are higher than those recorded in other studies to date,and indicate that BSi plays a major role in controlling permanent carbon burial.This study suggests that phytoliths from terrestrial plants are the primary constituents of BSi in the rivers of Peninsular Malaysia,and therefore represent a significant proportion of the coastal silica budget.
文摘Phytoliths take the shape and size of the cells from which they are formed.They are microscopic and composed of opal silica—SiO<sub>2</sub> and other traces of Al, Fe,Mn,P,Cu,N and organic carbon.Phytoliths are present in the roots,leaves,stem and the rest parts of the plant body including inflorescences.The shapes of phytolith can be used to determine the taxonomy of the plants,which may be dumbbell,squares,rectangular,
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No 40971116)Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (No 2009CB426305)Technology Innovation Project of Northeast Normal University in Eleventh Five-Year Plan Period (No NENU-Stb07002)
文摘The Changbai Mountains,located in the temperate monsoon climate zone of East Asia,is an ideal loca-tion for the research on timberline response to global changes.In this study,the topsoils were collected from different vertical vegetation zones on the northern slope of the Changbai Mountains,Northeast China in August 2009,and phytoliths in the soil samples were extracted by using wet oxidation method and identified with Motic 2.0 microscope in laboratory.The results show that phytoliths are abundant in the topsoils of the study area.The herbal phytoliths are primarily composed of elongated,tooth-shaped,point-shaped and hat-shaped phytoliths,as well as a small amount of fan-shaped and square-shaped ones.The elongated,tooth-shaped,point-shaped and hat-shaped phytoliths are representative of cold climate,while fan-shaped and square-shaped ones are representative of warm and humid climate.In the conifer broadleaved mixed forest zone,coniferous forest zone and broadleaf forest zone,there are close correlations between vegetation and woody phytoliths in the topsoils,indicating that the woody plants of a region can be reconstructed from the woody phytolith assemblages in the topsoils.Meanwhile,the topsoil phytolith assemblages can also be used to reconstruct the understory herbs effectively.The phytolith assemblages in the topsoils of the forest community and herbal community differ significantly,which can help indicate the historical location of the timberline.
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(42273055)。
文摘Elemental information carried by phytoliths plays a crucial indicative role in geochemical research.For instance,it serves as an indicator of the carbon pool effect in phytoliths and aids in the elucidation of silicon sources.However,early extraction methods for soil phytoliths primarily focused on obtaining their morphological and quantitative information,lacking efficient techniques for quantitative elemental analysis.In this study,we aimed to extract Si/Al information from soil phytoliths.Considering the need for complete extraction of phytolith,six extraction methods were developed and further by alkaline dissolution to determine Si/Al.Six methods were compared in terms of enrichment capacity,the weight of extracted phytoliths,and Si/Al differences.The results indicated that the addition of Ammonia-Catechol in the commonly used heavy liquid flotation method effectively improved phytolith extraction capability and the accuracy of Si/Al results.Additionally,the inclusion of an acetic acid step before alkaline dissolution further removed surface-adsorbed impurities and enhanced the analytical quality of Si/Al in phytolith.The comparison of the data in this study with other published data shows that our method is relatively robust.The improved method proposed in this study can provide a new idea for the quantitative analysis of other elements in soil phytoliths.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFF1301403)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41877427,42302020,42288201,42072028,and 42202025)+3 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Liaoning Universities(LJ202410166028)the Education Department of Liaoning Province(JYTQN2023424)Alexander W.A.Kellner acknowledges support from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico(CNPq-#308707/2023-0,406779/2021-0,and INCT PALEOVERT#406902/2022-4)the Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro(FAPERJ)(#E-26/201.095/2022).
文摘Pterosaurs,a group of extinct reptiles from the Mesozoic Era,were the earliest vertebrates to evolve powered flight capabilities.Among the several questions surrounding these flying reptiles is their dietary habits,which remain poorly understood,and research on this subject is ongoing[1].Various dietary hypotheses have been proposed for different pterosaur groups,encompassing insectivory,piscivory,carnivory,durophagy,herbivory/frugivory,filter-feeding,and generalist diets,with different interpretations,mainly based on morphology,which in some cases sparked controversy[1].As widely acknowledged,an incontrovertible piece of evidence is stomach contents,which,unfortunately,are extremely rare.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.U23A2023,42077408)。
文摘Comparative studies on phytolith morphology between wild rice(Oryza rufipogon)and domesticated rice(Oryza sativa)have provided a fundamental basis for examining rice domestication traits and their evolutionary pathways.To investigate the taxonomic significance of modern rice phytoliths,this study conducted systematic morphometric and statistical evaluations on cuneiform bulliform,double-peaked husk,and bilobate phytoliths of wild rice and two domesticated rice subspecies,japonica(O.sativa subsp.japonica'Ganningjing No.1')and indica(O.sativa subsp.indica'CNR213'),cultivated in Wuhan experimental fields.The findings revealed the following:(1)The number of fish-scale facets on cuneiform bulliform phytoliths and the morphology of double-peaked husk and bilobate phytoliths effectively differentiated wild rice from domesticated rice at the species level.Specifically,the cuneiform bulliform phytoliths with≥9 fish-scale facets were 6%,40%,and67%for wild,japonica,and indica rice,respectively.The shank length(a)and notch width(b)of bilobate phytoliths,as well as the top width(TW),middle width(MW),height(H),and curve depth(CD)of double-peaked husk phytoliths in domesticated rice,were smaller than those in wild rice.The morphometric features of the bilobate phytoliths demonstrate their potential as novel indicators for distinguishing wild rice from domesticated rice.(2)At the subspecies level,morphological variations were observed in the phytoliths of japonica and indica rice.Specifically,the flat ratio(B/A,where B and A are the non-base portion length and base portion length of cuneiform bulliform phytoliths,respectively)and fish-scale facet number of cuneiform bulliform phytoliths in japonica rice were lower than those in indica rice,but the horizontal(HL)and vertical length(VL)of japonica rice were greater than those of indica rice.This study provides phytolith-based evidence for the classification and identification of modern rice and offers valuable insights for identifying rice phytolith traits from archaeological sites and for understanding the domestication and evolutionary pathways of rice.Considering the limited variety of rice types included in this study,future research should investigate more rice species to create a comprehensive morphometric classification system for phytolith analyses.
文摘A study on phytoliths and their climate indexes is carried out from Homo erectus?cave deposits in HuluCave, Nanjing. Evidence shows that phytolith assemblages of the cave deposits are dominated by the cold resistant types with a lower warm index, reflecting an overall cold inclined climate. This possibly connects the cave deposits with glacial climate to a great extent, which is in accordance with thenorthern fauna revealed by fossil mammals and temperateclimate indicated by pollen assemblages. According to the distributional state of the phytoliths and their climate in-dexes on 4 profiles in the cave, it is revealed that profiles Ⅰand Ⅱ display certain cold/warm, and dry/wet fluctuations; profile Ⅲ shows a humid and cold condition with the high-est humility in the cave deposits; while profile Ⅳ indicates a possible quick accumulating process because of its stableclimate indexes except for its bottom and top.
文摘The analysis of carbon isotope in phytoliths from modern plants and surface soils in China shows that the values of carbon isotope are consistent with those from C3 and C4 plants, and the processes of photosynthesis of the original plants can be clearly identified by carbon isotope in phytoliths. The value of carbon isotope varied from -23.8‰ to -28‰, with the maximum distributed in the latitude zone from 34°N to 40°N in North China and East China areas, and the minimum in the Northeast China and South China regions. The values of carbon of phytoliths tend to increase from low to high and then reduce to low value again as the latitude increases. In the same latitude zone, the carbon isotope in phytoliths from grassland soil under the trees is obviously lower than that from grassland soil without any trees with the difference of 1‰ - 2‰.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘The neolithic ruins of rice cultivation play an important role in the study on origin,evolution and propagation of cultivated rice. There are more than one hundred neolithicsites in China. where the ruins of rice have been found. and 80 percent of them and allthe earlier ones (Hemudu and LuoJiajiao. about 7 ka B.P.: Pengtoushan. about 7.5—9 kaB. P.) are distributed over the areas of the Yangtze River. Are there the earlier. cultivatedrice in the areas of the Yellow River and Huaihe River? This problem has received
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40201052, 30870238, 40971116)
文摘The characteristics of phytoliths in Leymus chinensis leaves from five different pH-value habitats from Songnen Plain in China were analyzed to reveal their environmental implications and possible use for quantitative reconstruction of the paleoenvironment. The phytoliths in leaves of L. chinensis from the five habitats showed a non-linear correlation with soil pH. The main types of phytoliths from the different habitats were exactly the same, including silicified stomata, hat-shaped, lanceolate, elongated, multilateral-plate, and tooth-shaped. However, there were significant differences in the contents of each shape of phytoliths among the five habitats. The amount and the volume of weakly tooth-shaped, lanceolate phytoliths and silicified stomata increased with increased pH, while the total amount of phytoliths was reduced. In addition, there were different types of phytoliths in the L. chinensis leaves from the five habitats of different pH, suggesting that the types of phytoliths were controlled, at least in part, by soil pH. The changes of size and percentage of phytoliths were most remarkable at pH 10.15–10.18, indicating that this is the highest pH value that L. chinensis can tolerate.
基金Acknowledgements This work was partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 41271208）, the JiangsuPlanned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds （No. 1301061C）, the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation funded project （No. 2013M541744）, and the Key Projects in the National Science ＆ Technology Pillar Program during the Twelfth Five-year Plan Period （2013BADllB00）. We also express our sincere thanks to Ms. Yanan Zhang and Ms. Yilan Liu for their kind help with the sampling.
文摘Rice is a well-known silicon accumulator. During its periods of growth, a great number of phytoliths are formed by taking up silica via the plant roots. Concurrently, carbon in those phytoliths is sequestrated by a mechanism of long-term biogeochemical processes within the plant. Phytolith occluded C （PhytOC） is very stable and can be retained in soil for longer than a millennium. In this study, we evaluated the carbon bio- sequestration within the phytoliths produced in rice seed husks of 35 rice cultivars, with the goal of finding rice cultivars with relatively higher phytolith carbon sequestra- tion efficiencies. The results showed that the phytolith contents ranged from 71.6 mg. g^-1 to 150.1 mg. g^-1, and the PhytOC contents ranged from 6.4 mg.g^-1 to 38.4 mg.g^-1, suggesting that there was no direct correlation between the PhytOC content and the content of rice seed husk phytoliths （R = 0.092, p 〉 0.05）. Of all rice cultivars, six showed a higher carbon sequestration efficiency in phytolith seed husks. Additionally, the carbon bio- sequestration within the rice seed husk phytoliths was approximately 0.45-3.46 kg-e-CO2-ha^-1. yr^-1. These rates indicate that rice cultivars are a potential source of carbon biosequestration which could contribute to the global carbon cycle and climate change.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41967054,41830322)。
文摘The analysis of wild rice cell structures,tissues,organs,and other morphological characteristics and the development of identification markers for wild rice are the basis for identifying the origins and evolution of prehistorical rice agriculture.However,contemporary wild rice strains are often subject to gene introgression from domesticated rice cultivated by humans during the evolutionary process,which may affect the accuracy of wild rice identification markers.This means that how to eliminate the effects of gene introgression from domesticated rice and other plants on the identification of origin markers,and the purification of the morphological characteristics of wild rice have become critical in research to identify the origin of rice.In this study,we compared and analysed the phytolith morphologies of three common wild rice species(Oryza rufipogon Griff.)from various habitats and one species of ectopically preserved homozygous common wild rice after six consecutive generations of self-crossing.We found that the morphology of the bulliform phytolith in the homozygous wild rice with reduced domestication gene introgression had three significant differences compared with native wild rice:(1)an overall reduction in size(body length decreased from 41.9μm in VLnativeto 38.6μm in VLhomozygous);(2)an increase in the proportion of the long-stalked phenotype,with the ratio of B/A decreasing from 1.22±0.47 in B/Anativeto 0.92±0.30 in B/Ahomozygous;and(3)a decrease in the number of fish-scale decorations,with the proportion of bulliform phytoliths with≥9 fish-scale decorations reduced from 53.4%in native wild rice to 37.2%in homozygous wild rice.Thus,this study provides a reliable reference for the identification of rice origins using rice phytolith morphology.
文摘THE application of phytolith study in geology in the world has experienced a history of over 30 years. The earliest application of phytolith study to marine geology was made by Smithson when he made a study on the submarine sediments in Leigwy Bay. Later, he made the analysis of phytoliths in the neritic sediments in Ariake Bay in Kyushu, Japan. Dumitrica analysed the phytoliths in the cores drilled in the Mediterranean Sea. Phytoliths in the deepsea
