Phytoliths from some grasses (Poaceae) in arid lands of Xinjiang, China

• Published in: Acta Biologica Sibirica
• Main Authors: Marina V. Olonova, Polina D. Gudkova, Valeria D. Shiposha, Elizaveta A. Kriuchkova, Natalia S. Mezina, Mikhail Blinnikov
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Altai State University 2021
• Subjects: Central Asia; deserts; plant anatomy; silicon diox; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Sibirica
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3897/abs.7.e76105; https://doaj.org/article/d3c69257585b4649a9d1dff65a1dfac7

Opal phytoliths, as silicon dioxide inclusions, are abundant in different parts of a plant. It is known that grasses are the most representative in this respect. The research of phytoliths, removed from 25 most common grass species in the arid and semiarid lands of the Junggar Basin and adjacent areas, has been undertaken. The visual estimation of diversity and variability of silica cells and identification of their morphological types (patterns) were also the aim of our research. Since the work is preliminary, we have emphasized on the visual estimation of silica cell variability and involved only the leaf blades in the analysis. Drawings of the revealed silica cells, characteristic of 25 species, are provided. The sig-nificant morphological diversity of phytoliths has been revealed, as well as their taxonomic similarity at the level of subfamilies. These data can be used for the identification of phytoliths from sediments.