Phytolith analysis of Cyperaceae from the Pampean region, Argentina
Open accessAbstract
Cyperaceae, along with Poaceae, is the main silica accumulator. Although the anatomical-taxonomic and palaeobotanical relevance of phytoliths has been well established, there are no studies that deal with the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the phytolith production or differentiate phytoliths from the different organs in Cyperaceae. Toward the construction of a detailed database of phytolith production, we describe in the present paper the phytoliths of leaves, culms and fruits of Cyperaceae from Pampean region (Argentina). Phytoliths were extracted by a calcination technique. Qualitative and quantitative characters and percentages of phytolith morphotypes were subject to principal component analysis to analyse their taxonomic relevance. For some sedges, values of phytolith content and a comparative analysis of leaves, culms and fruit phytoliths are presented here for the first time. Diverse tissues such as epidermis, xylem, parenchyma and sclerenchyma produced phytoliths. The most abundant morphotypes were conical phytoliths, which showed differences in the base shape and in their size between organs. Leaf/culm cones have a rounded, rectangular or square base; typical fruit cones have a polygonal base and they are bigger and more robust. PCA showed that quantitative and qualitative characters of cones, along with the percentages of morphotypes, allowed group distinction.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Conical phytoliths of leaves and stems may have a rounded, rectangular or square base.
“Conical phytoliths of leaves and stems may have a rounded, rectangular or square base [146].”
From The Minoan Thera eruption predates Pharaoh Ahmose: Radiocarbon dating of Egyptian 17th to early 18th Dynasty museum objects (2025) · cites this paper as [146]
The epidermis layer of the plant fragment shows small silicified cell bodies (phytoliths), ca 10 micron in size, which appear to have conical shapes, typical for sedge plants (Cyperaceae family).
“The epidermis layer shows small silicified cell bodies (phytoliths), ca 10 micron in size, which appear to have conical shapes, typical for sedge plants (Cyperaceae family) [143–146].”
From The Minoan Thera eruption predates Pharaoh Ahmose: Radiocarbon dating of Egyptian 17th to early 18th Dynasty museum objects (2025) · cites this paper as [146]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
No references could be resolved yet.
Research works printed but not linked: 28
- Alexandre A, Meunier J, Lezine A, Vincens A, Schwartz D (1997) Phytoliths: indicators of grasslands dynamics during the late Holocene in intertropical Africa. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 136, 213-229. doi: 10.1016/S0031-0182(97)00089-8 · DOI
- Barboni D, Bonnefille R, Alexandre A, Meunier JD (1999) Phytoliths as paleoenvironmental indicators, West Side Middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 152, 87-100. doi: 10.1016/S0031-0182(99)00045-0 · DOI
- Blinnikov MS (2005) Phytoliths in plants and soils of the interior Pacific Northwest, USA. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 135, 71-98. doi: 10.1016/j.revpalbo.2005.02.006 · DOI
- Bonomo M, Zucol AF, Gutierrez Tellez B, Coradeghini A, Vigna MS (2009) Late Holocene palaeoenvironments of the Nutria Mansa 1 archaeological site, Argentina. Journal of Paleolimnology 41, 273-296. doi: 10.1007/s10933-008-9225-3 · DOI
- Borba-Roschel M, Alexandre A, Varajão AFDC, Meunier JD, Varajão CAC, Colin F (2006) Phytoliths as indicators of pedogenesis and paleoenvironmental changes in the Brazilian cerrado. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 88, 172-176. doi: 10.1016/j.gexplo.2005.08.032 · DOI
- Borrelli N (2008) Biomineralizaciones de sílice y calcio. Su rol en la biogeoquímica de Argiudoles típicos del sudeste bonaerense. PhD Thesis. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina.
- Borrelli N, Osterrieth M, Marcovecchio J (2008) Interrelations of vegetal cover, silicophytoliths content and pedogenesis of Typical Argiudolls of the Pampean Plain, Argentina. Catena 75, 146-153. doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2008.05.001 · DOI
- Browning J, Gordon-Gray KD (1995) Studies in Cyperaceae in southern Africa 26: glume epidermal silica deposits as a character in generic delimitation of Costularia and Cyathocoma as distinct from Tetraria and other allies. South African Journal of Botany 61, 66-71.
- Bruhl JJ (1995) Sedge Genera of the world: relationships and a new classification of the Cyperaceae. Australian Systematic Botany 8, 125-305. doi: 10.1071/SB9950125 · DOI
- Bruhl JJ, Watson L, Dallwitz MJ (1992) Genera of Cyperaceae: interactive identification and information retrieval. Taxon 41, 225-234. doi: 10.2307/1222331 · DOI
- Chevalier A (2008) Early Holocene human adaptation in the Central Andes: what the phytoliths can tell us? In 'Interdisciplinary nuances in phytoliths and other microfossil studies'. (Eds MA Korstanje, MP Babot) pp. 149-160. (BAR International Series S1870: Oxford)
- Conley DJ (2002) Terrestrial ecosystems and the global biogeochemical silica cycle. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 16, 1121-1129. doi: 10.1029/2002GB001894 · DOI
- Duval-Jouve MJ (1873) Sur une forme de cellules épidermiques qui paraissent propres aux Cypéracées. Bulletin Société Botanique de France 20, 91-95.
- Fernández Honaine M, Zucol A, Osterrieth M (2006) Phytolith assemblage and systematic association in grassland species of the SE Pampean Plains, Argentina. Annals of Botany 98, 1155-1165. doi: 10.1093/aob/mcl207 · DOI
- Fernández Honaine M, Bernava Laborde V, Zucol A (2008) Contenido de sílice en gramíneas del pastizal nativo del sudeste bonaerense. In 'Interdisciplinary nuances in phytoliths and other microfossil studies'. (Eds MA Korstanje, MP Babot) pp. 57-63. (BAR International Series S1870: Oxford)
- Gallego L, Distel RA, Camina R, Rodriguez Iglesias RM (2004) Soil phytoliths as evidence for species replacement in grazed rangelands of Central Argentina. Ecography 27, 725-732. doi: 10.1111/j.0906-7590.2005.03964.x · DOI
- Gordon-Gray KD, van Laren L, Bandu V (1978) Silica deposits in Rhynchospora species (Cyperaceae). Proceedings Electron Microscopy Society of Southern Africa 8, 83-84.
- Iriarte J, Paz EA (2009) Phytolith analysis of selected native plants and modern soils from southeastern Uruguay and its implications for paleoenvironmental and archeological reconstruction. Quaternary International 193, 99-123. doi: 10.1016/j.quaint.2007.10.008 · DOI
- C yr B.P. in southeastern Uruguay and implications for the rise of early Formative societies. Quaternary Research 65, 20-32. doi: 10.1016/j.yqres.2005.05.005 · DOI
- Lanning FC, Eleuterius LN (1989) Silica deposition in some C 3 and C 4 species of grasses, sedges and composites in the USA. Annals of Botany 63, 395-410.
- Madella M, Alexandre A, Ball T (2005) International Code for Phytolith Nomenclature 1_0. Annals of Botany 96, 253-260. doi: 10.1093/aob/mci172 · DOI
- Mehra PN, Sharma OP (1965) Epidermal silica cells in the Cyperaceae. Botanical Gazette (Chicago, Ill.) 126, 53-58. doi: 10.1086/336295 · DOI
- Menapace FJ, Wujek DE (1987) The systematic significance of achene micromorphology in Carex retrorsa (Cyperaceae). Brittonia 39, 278-283. doi: 10.2307/2807393 · DOI
- Metcalfe CR (1971) 'Anatomy of the monocotyledons. V. Cyperaceae.' (Clarendon Press: Oxford)
- Ollendorf AL (1992) Toward a classification scheme of sedge (Cyperaceae) phytoliths. In 'Phytolith Systematics'. (Eds G Rapp, SC Mulholland) pp. 91-111. (Plenum Press: New York)
- Piperno DR (1988) 'Phytolith analysis: an archaeological and geological perspective.' (Academic Press: San Diego, CA)
- Rovner I (1971) Potential of opal phytolith for use in paleoecological reconstruction. Quaternary Research 1, 343-359. doi: 10.1016/0033-5894(71)90070-6 · DOI
- Schuyler AE (1971) Scanning electron microscopy of achene epidermis in species of Scirpus (Cyperaceae) and related genera. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 123, 29-52.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Bruins, H. J., & van der Plicht, J. (2025) · PLOS One · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0330702 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Conical phytoliths of leaves and stems may have a rounded, rectangular or square base [146].”
- Authors
- Honaine, M. F., Zucol, A. F., & Osterrieth, M. L.
- Affiliations
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (AR)
- National University of Mar del Plata (AR)
- Corresponding author
- Honaine, Mariana Fernández
- Venue
- Australian Journal of Botany
- Publisher
- CSIRO Publishing
- Published
- 2009-11-09
- Volume
- 57
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 512-523
- ISSN
- 0067-1924 (ISSN-L)
- 1444-9862
- OpenAlex
- W2013547875
- Cited by
- 75
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 3.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Australian Journal of Botany (publishedVersion)
- Conicet (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Funders
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
- Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata
- Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (CONICET)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Silicon Effects in Agriculture
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Plant Taxonomy and Phylogenetics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Keywords
- phytoliths, Cyperaceae, silica accumulation, phytolith morphotypes, Pampas
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
