Skip Navigation



AOBPreview published online on October 9, 2006
Annals of Botany, doi:10.1093/aob/mcl207
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
98/6/1155    most recent
mcl207v2
mcl207v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by FERNÁNDEZ HONAINE, M.
Right arrow Articles by OSTERRIETH, M. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by FERNÁNDEZ HONAINE, M.
Right arrow Articles by OSTERRIETH, M. L.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by FERNÁNDEZ HONAINE, M.
Right arrow Articles by OSTERRIETH, M. L.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received June 16, 2006
Revised July 13, 2006
Accepted August 16, 2006

Article

Phytolith Assemblages and Systematic Associations in Grassland Species of the South-Eastern Pampean Plains, Argentina

MARIANA FERNÁNDEZ HONAINE 1 * {dagger}, ALEJANDRO F. ZUCOL 2 {dagger}, and MARGARITA L. OSTERRIETH 1

1 Centro de Geología de Costas y del Cuaternario, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, CC 722, Correo Central, (7600) Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2 Laboratorio de Paleobotánica, Centro de Investigaciones Científicas (CICYTTP-CONICET), Dr. Matteri y España (E3105BWA) Diamante, Entre Ríos, Argentina

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
MARIANA FERNÁNDEZ HONAINE, E-mail: fhonaine{at}mdp.edu.ar


  Abstract

• Background and Aims Phytolith descriptions of South American plant species are scarce. This knowledge is crucial for the interpretation of the fossil phytolith record of a region. In this study phytolith assemblages and systematic relationships of the main grasses and Asteraceae species of Paspalum quadrifarium grassland are described.

• Methods Phytoliths from leaves of Poaceae and Asteraceae species were extracted by using a calcination technique. For each species, 350-400 phytoliths were counted and the relative frequency of each morphotype was calculated. Phytolith assemblages were subject to principal components analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (Morisita index).

• Key Results PCA and cluster analysis showed family (Poaceae vs. Asteraceae) and subfamily (within Poaceae) differentiation. Exceptions to general trends described for other species were detected. Floristic variants of Paspalum quadrifarium grassland can be separated by their phytolith assemblages.

• Conclusions The study provides a reference collection of phytolith assemblages of the main Poaceae and Asteraceae species of Paspalum quadrifarium grassland and describes some phytolith morphotypes/systematic relationships useful for the analysis of fossil phytolith assemblages of the Pampean region.

Keywords: Paspalum quadrifarium, Asteraceae, Poaceae, phytolith assemblages, Argentina, Southern Pampa.
{dagger} These authors are employed by CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas).
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 ANN BOT (LOND)Home page
J. Mercader, T. Bennett, C. Esselmont, S. Simpson, and D. Walde
Phytoliths in woody plants from the Miombo woodlands of Mozambique
Ann. Bot., July 1, 2009; 104(1): 91 - 113.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.