Phytoliths as indicators of pedogenesis and paleoenvironmental changes in the Brazilian cerrado

This paper presents the preliminary results of phytolith analyses of a peat located in the cerrado of the Uberaba municipality, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The phytolith soil sequence is discussed by comparison with phytolith assemblages extracted from dominant plants (Cyperaceae and Poaceae). Increasing mean age of phytolith assemblages with depth is assumed. Poaceae Cuneiform bulliform cell, Parallelepiped bulliform cell and Elongate smooth long cell types dominate up to 80 cm, rapidly drop to 42% at 80 cm and regularly decrease from 42% to 2% upwards. Cyperaceae Rondel concave type shows the inverse trend, being dominant in the upper part of the profile. This pattern can be assigned to increasing selective dissolution of the Cyperaceae phytolith type with depth, or/and to a decrease of water stress suffered by the grasses, leading to a decrease of bulliform cell silicification. Soil processes and paleo-environmental changes hypotheses are discussed.     

几种禾本科植物淀粉粒形态比较及其考古学意义

对5种禾本科植物种子中的淀粉粒（包括粟、黍、青狗尾草、高粱及薏苡等）进行了形态学观察和描述,结合颗粒长度的测量和统计学分析,建立了区分这些作物淀粉粒的一般方法。结果显示,粟和黍的淀粉粒以多边形居多,比例分别为75％和96％;青狗尾草中的淀粉粒以圆形为主;高粱和薏苡的淀粉粒形态具有较高的多样性。表现在消光臂上,高粱淀粉粒的消光臂呈现弯曲特征,而其他4种作物淀粉粒的消光臂则较为平直。在颗粒的长度分布上,粟淀粉粒为2.77～18.40μm,黍淀粉粒为3.93～12.85μm,青狗尾草淀粉粒为 2.19～11.90μm,高粱淀粉粒为4.11～30.30μm,薏苡淀粉粒为 5.48～25.44μm。研究表明,粟、黍、青狗尾草、高粱及薏苡等5种禾本科植物的淀粉粒形态特征存在相似性,但是也有差异。综合运用二维形状、脐点位置、表面特征、消光臂特征及长度等多种指标,可以对这几种作物的淀粉粒进行一定程度的区分。这一研究结果可用于辅助对古代淀粉粒的种属鉴定。     

Using SPIRAL (Single Pollen Isotope Ratio AnaLysis) to estimate C3- and C4-grass abundance in the paleorecord

C₃ and C₄ grasses differ greatly in their responses to environmental controls and influences on biogeochemical processes (e.g. water, carbon, and nutrient cycling). Difficulties in distinguishing between these two functional groups of grasses have hindered paleoecological studies of grass-dominated ecosystems. Stable carbon isotopic analysis of individual grains of grass pollen using a spooling-wire microcombustion device interfaced with an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer holds promise for improving C₃ and C₄ grass reconstructions. This technique, SPIRAL (Single Pollen Isotope Ratio AnaLysis), has only been evaluated using pollen of known C₃ and C₄ grasses. To test the ability of SPIRAL to reproduce the abundance of C₃ and C₄ grasses on the landscape, we measured δ¹³C values of > 1500 individual grains of grass pollen isolated from the surface sediments of ten lakes in areas that span a large gradient of C₃- and C₄-grass abundance, as determined from vegetation surveys. Results indicate a strong positive correlation between the δ¹³C-based estimates of % C₄-grass pollen and the abundance of C₄ grasses on the landscape. The % C₄-grass pollen slightly underestimates the actual abundance of C₄ grasses at sites with high proportions of C₄ grasses, which can be corrected using regression analysis. Comparison of the % C₄-grass pollen with C/N and δ¹³C measurements of bulk organic matter illustrates the distinct advantages of grass-pollen δ¹³C as a proxy for distinguishing C₃ and C₄ shifts within the grass family. Thus SPIRAL promises to advance our understanding of grassland ecology and evolution.     

Biomass production of different ecotypes of threegrass species of the semi-arid grasslands of southern Africa

Biomass production of different ecotypes within three ecological importantgrass species was determined during cultivation under uniform environmental conditions. Results obtained clearly indicate that ecotypes of these species exhibit a significant degree of variation with regard to biomass production. Furthermore, indications from this investigation are that no correlation exists between production ability of a species and long-term average rainfall, and the effect of both genetic and environmental factors on the production ability of a species determines the eventual biomass production of a species. Biomass production represents one of various ecologically important characteristics to be used in conjunction with other ecological characters to construct a usable, special purpose classification system. This system will assist rangeland ecologists in identifying functional ecotypes within grass species, thus facilitating the understanding and interpretation of vegetation dynamic models and rangeland condition assessments.     

青藏高原现生禾本科植物的δ13C与海拔高度的关系

文章通过分析青藏高原4种C3禾本科植物碳同位素值随海拔高度的变化,发现穗三毛(Trisetumspicatum),垂穗鹅观草(Roegnerianutans),紫花针茅(Stipapurpurea),垂穗披碱草(Elymusnutans)的碳同位素值随海拔高度增加而变重的趋势明显,平均每增高1km变重1.37‰,其中Trisetumspicatum和Roegnerianutans的碳同位素值随海拔高度增加而变重的趋势更为显著。研究认为温度和大气CO₂分压是引起C3植物碳同位素值随海拔高度变化的主要因素。另外,研究发现一些C4植物的生长高度可以达到海拔4000m以上,最高可达海拔4520m。