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Mazuy A, Ferrara V, Ekblom A, Delhon C. A rapid and simple method for the extraction of biogenic silica (BSi) in phytolith-poor sediments and soils. MethodsX 2024; 12:102634. [PMID: 38435636 PMCID: PMC10907204 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Phytoliths can be used to reconstruct human-nature dynamics over the long term (from decennial to centennial and millennial time scales) and may capture activities that cannot be reconstructed through other proxies. Phytoliths consist of fossil biogenic silica (BSi), formed in plant organs and then released into the soil with plant decay. When working in environmental contexts where the phytolith signal is highly diluted, as is the case in environments with a long history of land use, animal-plant interactions and open woody environments, the extraction of phytoliths remains a challenge. To address this issue, we developed an efficient method for the extraction of biogenic silica (BSi) from sediments and soils of contexts characterised by the long-term human and animal presence and disturbance, such as remnants of old agroforestry systems. The method we developed has a number of advantages, including: •An easy and time-efficient methodology to perform (with an overall processing time of 1.5/2 days for a batch of 16 samples)•An extraction method free from dangerous chemicals•A method amenable to non-experts without a prior background in lab extraction procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vincenza Ferrara
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University - Engelska Parken, Thunbergsvägen 3H, Uppsala 751 26, Sweden
- Department of Human Geography, Stockholm University - Geovetenskapens hus, Svante Arrhenius väg 8, Frescati, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden
| | - Anneli Ekblom
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University - Engelska Parken, Thunbergsvägen 3H, Uppsala 751 26, Sweden
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Pokrovsky OS, Akerman A, Fraysse F, Olonova MV, Kuznetzov AA, Loiko SV, Meunier JD. Elemental composition of grass phytoliths: Environmental control and effect on dissolution. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 913:169764. [PMID: 38176565 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Plant phytoliths, which represent the main pool of silica (Si) in the form of hydrous Si oxide, are capable of providing valuable information on different aspect of environmental issues including paleo-environmental reconstruction and agricultural sustainability. Phytoliths may have different chemical composition, which, in turn, affects their preservation in soils ad impacts terrestrial cycle of the occluded elements including micro-nutrients and environmental toxicants. Yet, in contrast to sizable work devoted to phytoliths formation, dissolution and physico-chemical properties, the mechanisms that control total (major and trace) elemental composition and the impact that various elements exert on phytolith reactivity and preservation in soils remains poorly known. In order to fil this gap in knowledge, here we combined two different approaches - analytical trace element geochemistry and experimental physical chemistry. First, we assessed full elemental composition of phytoliths from different plants via measuring major and trace elements in 9 samples of grasses collected in northern Eurasia during different seasons, 18 grasses from Siberian regions, and 4 typical Si-concentrating plants (horsetail, larch, elm and tree fern). We further assessed the dissolution rates of phytoliths exhibiting drastically different concentrations of trace metals. In the European grasses, the variations of phytolith chemical composition among species were highly superior to the variations across vegetative season. Compared to European samples, Siberian grass phytoliths were impoverished in Ca and Sr, exhibited similar concentrations of Li, B, Na, Mg, K, V, Zn, Ni, Mo, As, Ba, and U, and were strongly enriched (x 100-1000) in lithogenic elements (trivalent and tetravalent hydrolysates), P, Mn, Fe and divalent metals. Overall, the variations in elemental composition between different species of the same region were lower compared to variations of the same species from distant regions. The main factors controlling phytoliths elemental composition are the far-range atmospheric (dust) transfer, climatic conditions (humidity), and, in a lesser degree, local lithology and anthropogenic pollution. Despite significant, up to 3 orders of magnitude, difference in TE composition of grass and other plant phytoliths, the dissolution rates of grass phytoliths measured in this study were similar, within the experimental uncertainty, to those of other plants studied in former works. Therefore, elemental composition of phytoliths has relatively minor impact on their preservation in soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg S Pokrovsky
- Geoscience and Environment Toulouse, UMR 5563 CNRS, University of Toulouse, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France; BIO-GEO-CLIM Laboratory, Tomsk State University, Lenin Ave, 36, Tomsk 634050, Russia.
| | - Alisson Akerman
- Geoscience and Environment Toulouse, UMR 5563 CNRS, University of Toulouse, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Fabrice Fraysse
- Université de Lorraine, LIEC-Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Géologie, 15 Avenue du Charmois, 54500 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
| | - Marina V Olonova
- BIO-GEO-CLIM Laboratory, Tomsk State University, Lenin Ave, 36, Tomsk 634050, Russia
| | - Alexander A Kuznetzov
- BIO-GEO-CLIM Laboratory, Tomsk State University, Lenin Ave, 36, Tomsk 634050, Russia
| | - Sergey V Loiko
- BIO-GEO-CLIM Laboratory, Tomsk State University, Lenin Ave, 36, Tomsk 634050, Russia
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Pagana I, Nava V, Puglia GD, Genovese C, Emma G, Salonia C, Cicero N, Alongi G. Cystoseira compressa and Ericaria mediterranea: Effective Bioindicators for Heavy- and Semi-Metal Monitoring in Marine Environments with Rocky Substrates. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:530. [PMID: 38498557 PMCID: PMC10893443 DOI: 10.3390/plants13040530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Marine environmental monitoring is essential to ensure that heavy-metal (HM) concentrations remain within safe limits. Most seawater analyses currently consider sediment or water samples, but this approach does not apply to rocky substrates, where water samples can only indicate immediate contamination. We used two common Mediterranean algae species, Cystoseira compressa and Ericaria mediterranea, as bioindicators living in the intertidal zone on rocky substrates along the seacoast. HM concentrations were assessed over a one-year period in the perennial base crust and in the seasonal frond, considering marine sites characterised by different contamination risks. Both algae showed that HMs accumulate mainly in the perennial base rather than in the seasonal frond. Furthermore, the algae species always showed a different order of bioaccumulation factors: Cd > Ni > Pb > Cr > Cu > Mn > Zn for the frond and Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd > Mn > Cu > Zn for the base. Our study shows that C. compressa and E. mediterranea accumulate HM consistently with the types of sites analysed and differentially with respect to the part of the thallus. These results demonstrate that these algae can be effectively used as reliable bioindicators to assess the presence of HM in marine environments with rocky substrates, providing both short- and long-term monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Pagana
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, 95128 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (G.E.); (C.S.); (G.A.)
- Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze Del Mare, 00196 Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Nava
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (V.N.)
| | - Giuseppe D. Puglia
- Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean, National Research Council of Italy, Via Empedocle, 58, 95128 Catania, Italy
| | - Claudia Genovese
- Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean, National Research Council of Italy, Via Empedocle, 58, 95128 Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Emma
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, 95128 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (G.E.); (C.S.); (G.A.)
| | - Carla Salonia
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, 95128 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (G.E.); (C.S.); (G.A.)
| | - Nicola Cicero
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; (V.N.)
| | - Giuseppina Alongi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, 95128 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (G.E.); (C.S.); (G.A.)
- Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze Del Mare, 00196 Rome, Italy
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