Production of phytoliths in woody plants of the Atlantic Forest in islands of the Paraná River, Brazil

Abstract

The analysis of phytoliths is a recent addition to the geosciences and has found applications in various fields over the last few decades, including palaeoenvironmental studies in fluvial environments. As a developing field, it is essential to carry out studies aimed at creating a modern reference collection that fills an information gap on the production of phytoliths by plants in this environment. These studies are essential to increase the reliability and accuracy of phytolith research in reconstructing past vegetation patterns and compositions. This study is the first with the aim of creating a pioneer collection of phytoliths in fluvial environments of the Upper Paraná River, addressing woody eudicotyledon species of greater representation on the Três Ilhas (Three Islands) Archipelago. The phytoliths were extracted from the leaves of 51 species from the botanical collection of the Nupélia herbarium (HNUP) using the dry ashing extraction method. The analysis found that 21 plant families established on the site have some kind of silica accumulation and 34 species are producers of phytoliths with an identifiable shape and size (<5um). It was confirmed the Moraceae family produces Acute bulbosus (with ramifications), both considered diagnostic at family level. Confirming the current literature on the subject, redundancy of the spheroid ornate and spheroid psilate morphotypes was observed in woody plants. Although no new morphotypes were found, the information will contribute to studies on the evolution of fluvial geoforms.