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AOBPreview published online on October 28, 2004
Annals of Botany, doi:10.1093/aob/mch214
© 2004 by Annals of Botany Company
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Received April 16, 2004
Revised June 11, 2004
Accepted August 24, 2004

Article

Phytolith Assemblages in Grasses Native to Central Argentina

LUCRECIA GALLEGO 1 and ROBERTO A. DISTEL 1*

1 Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur and CERZOS, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina, San Andrés 800, 8000 - Bahía Blanca, Argentina

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
ROBERTO A. DISTEL, E-mail: cedistel{at}criba.edu.ar


  Abstract

• Background and Aims Phytolith reference collections are a prerequisite for accurate interpretation of soil phytolith assemblages aimed at reconstructing past vegetation. In this study a phytolith reference collection has been developed for several grasses native to central Argentina: Poa ligularis, Piptochaetium napostaense, Stipa clarazii, Stipa tenuis, Stipa tenuissima, Stipa eriostachya, Stipa ambigua, Stipa brachychaeta, Pappophorum subbulbosum, Digitaria californica, Bothriochloa edwardsiana and Aristida subulata.

• Methods For each species, phytoliths present in the leaf blades were classified into 47 morphotypes, and their relative frequency determined by observing 300-400 phytoliths per sample (n = 5). Data were analyzed by complete linkage cluster analysis, using the Morisita Index as measure of association.

• Key Results The results showed differentiation among phytolith assemblages at species level or at plant functional type level. Cluster analysis separated C3 from C4 species and palatable from non-palatable species.

• Conclusions This study highlights the possibility of reconstructing past vegetation in central Argentina grasslands through the analysis of soil phytolith assemblages.

Keywords: Poaceae, native grasses, Argentina, phytolith assemblages, grass phytoliths.
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