Advances in Earth Science ›› 2013, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (12): 1287-1295. doi: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2013.12.1287

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Advances in Modern Phytolith Research

Rencheng Li 1, 2( ), Jun Fan 1, 2, Chonghui Gao 1, 2   

  1. 1.Guangxi Scientific Experiment Center of Mining,Metallurgy and Environment,Guilin 541004, China
    2.Guangxi Key Laboratory of Hidden Metallic Ore Deposits Exploration,Guilin University of Technology,Guilin 541004,China
  • Received:2013-08-16 Revised:2013-11-18 Online:2013-12-10 Published:2013-12-10

Rencheng Li, Jun Fan, Chonghui Gao. Advances in Modern Phytolith Research[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2013, 28(12): 1287-1295.

Phytolith has been widely used as a tool to reconstruct the paleoenvironment, and the investigation of modern phytolith is very crucial to the accurate interpretation of phytolith data in ancient sediments. Studies of modern process of phytolith primarily include the morphological analysis of phytolith in modern plants, and the relationships between the formation and growth of phytolith and environmental factors, as well as the transportation and taphonomy of phytolith in modern soils and sediments. The formation of phytolith in plants is controlled not only by genes but also by environmental factors, such as humidity, precipitation, temperature, CO2 concentration, soil pH, and nutrient status, etc. The morphology, assemblages, 13C and 18O of phytolith in plants can respond sensitively to environmental variables. The phytolith assemblages can be affected by its taphonomy and transportation that may be different due to phytolith types and soils/sediments texture. It is necessary to investigate the phytolith morphology and types in modern plants, the relationship between its formation and environmental factors, and the impact of transportation and taphonomy on phytolith assemblages under different environmental conditions in order to promote the application of phytolith analysis to paeloenvironment reconstruction.

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