Biogenic Silica Production in Selected Alpine Plant Species and Plant Communities

The biogenic silica extracted from samples of 28 alpine plant species belonging to 23 genera and nine families collected in the Swiss Alps (Valais) accounted for between 0.01 and 5.9% of the dry biomass of leaves and wood. Silica content, and plant contribution to the soil biogenic silica pool, vari...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of botany 2001-04, Vol.87 (4), p.425-434
Main Authors: Carnelli, A.L., Madella, M., Theurillat, J.-P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
alpine
Alpine plants
biogeochemical cycles
biomass production
chemical constituents of plants
Coniferae
Cyperaceae
Ericaceae
Forest soils
forests
Gramineae
Grassland soils
grasslands
heaths
Leaves
Opal
Phytoliths
Plant communities
Plants
productivity
silica
Silicon
Silicon, productivity, phytoliths, subalpine, alpine, grasslands, heaths, forests, Gramineae, Cyperaceae, Ericaceae, Coniferae
soil chemistry
Soil ecology
species differences
subalpine
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Summary:The biogenic silica extracted from samples of 28 alpine plant species belonging to 23 genera and nine families collected in the Swiss Alps (Valais) accounted for between 0.01 and 5.9% of the dry biomass of leaves and wood. Silica content, and plant contribution to the soil biogenic silica pool, varied widely among taxa. Plant net productivity and biogenic silica production from this study and from the literature have been used to predict the input made by different subalpine and alpine plant communities to soil-borne phytolith assemblages, and their contribution to the silicon biocycle.
ISSN:0305-7364
1095-8290
DOI:10.1006/anbo.2000.1355