Abstract
Opal phytoliths, as silicon dioxide inclusions, are abundant in different parts of a plant. It is known that grasses are the most representative in this respect. The research of phytoliths, removed from 25 most common grass species in the arid and semiarid lands of the Junggar Basin and adjacent areas, has been undertaken. The visual estimation of diversity and variability of silica cells and identification of their morphological types (patterns) were also the aim of our research. Since the work is preliminary, we have emphasized on the visual estimation of silica cell variability and involved only the leaf blades in the analysis. Drawings of the revealed silica cells, characteristic of 25 species, are provided. The sig-nificant morphological diversity of phytoliths has been revealed, as well as their taxonomic similarity at the level of subfamilies. These data can be used for the identification of phytoliths from sediments.
Highlights
Increasing attention of contemporary science is given to the study of phytoliths
Since the work is preliminary, we investigated only the leaf blades and have emphasized on the visual estimation of silica cell variability
Murzayev (1966) shows the annual mean temperature for this area 6–8 °C, (average temperature of July 24–26 (34) °C, January 18–20 °C below zero) and annual precipitation (50) 100–300 mm. It caused the formation of dry steppes and deserts there (Hou 1988; Ni 2001), where arid grasses are common
Summary
Increasing attention of contemporary science is given to the study of phytoliths. Phytoliths are silicon dioxide inclusions abundant in different parts of a plant. Silicon, being dissolved in underground water, can be adsorbed by plants, and it is deposited between the cell walls as opal. It can impregnate the cellular walls or fill the plant cells completely and may be dispersed in leaves, roots, stems, and even seeds. As for grasses, they are concentrated mainly in the epidermis (Krishnan et al 2000). The phytoliths increase the plant density, support the vertical position of stems, promote the absorption of sunlight for photosynthesis, serve as protection against fungal infection, and make plants less attractive to herbivores, rodents, and insects (Lu et al 2002; Lu and Liu 2003a; Myrlian and Medyanik 2008)
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