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(American Journal of Botany. 2002;89:346-351.)
© 2002 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Paleobotany

Aluminum in the opal silica reticule of phytoliths: a new tool in palaeoecological studies1

Adriana L. Carnelli2,6, Marco Madella3, Jean-Paul Theurillat4 and Brigitta Ammann5

2Institut F. A. Forel, Université de Genève, 10 route de Suisse, CH-1290 Versoix, Switzerland; 3The Cambridge Phytolith Project, The McDonald Institute for Archeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK; 4Centre Alpien de Phytogéographie, Fondation J.-M. Aubert, CH-1938 Champex and Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, 1 ch. de l'Impératrice, CH-1292 Chambésy, Switzerland; 5Institute of Plant Science, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, Ch-3013 Bern, Switzerland

X-ray microanalysis was employed to screen biogenic plant silica extracted from the aboveground tissues of 20 species (Gramineae, Cyperaceae, Ericaceae, and Coniferae) occurring in subalpine and alpine grasslands, heaths, and woodlands on siliceous bedrock in the Valaisan Swiss Alps. Among the taxa investigated, only woody species produced a high proportion of phytoliths containing aluminum in the form of aluminosilicates. This difference between the chemical composition of wood and that of herbaceous phytoliths has important implications for the sourcing of phytoliths. As applications for palaeoenvironmental studies can be expected to be far-reaching, the potential of this microanalytical technique is discussed.

Key Words: Alps • aluminum • Coniferae • Cyperaceae • Ericaceae • Gramineae • opal • X-ray microanalysis






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