Premium
Variable silicon accumulation in plants affects terrestrial carbon cycling by controlling lignin synthesis
Author(s) -
Klotzbücher Thimo,
Klotzbücher Anika,
Kaiser Klaus,
Vetterlein Doris,
Jahn Reinhold,
Mikutta Robert
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/gcb.13845
Subject(s) - lignin , carbon cycle , terrestrial plant , cycling , ecosystem , terrestrial ecosystem , environmental science , carbon fibers , nutrient cycle , ecology , nutrient , botany , environmental chemistry , biology , chemistry , materials science , geography , forestry , composite number , composite material
Current climate and land‐use changes affect regional and global cycles of silicon (Si), with yet uncertain consequences for ecosystems. The key role of Si in marine ecology by controlling algae growth is well recognized but research on terrestrial ecosystems neglected Si since not considered an essential plant nutrient. However, grasses and various other plants accumulate large amounts of Si, and recently it has been hypothesized that incorporation of Si as a structural plant component may substitute for the energetically more expensive biosynthesis of lignin. Herein, we provide evidence supporting this hypothesis. We demonstrate that in straw of rice ( Oryza sativa ) deriving from a large geographic gradient across South‐East Asia, the Si concentrations (ranging from 1.6% to 10.7%) are negatively related to the concentrations of carbon (31.3% to 42.5%) and lignin‐derived phenols (32 to 102 mg/g carbon). Less lignin may explain results of previous studies that Si‐rich straw decomposes faster. Hence, Si seems a significant but hardly recognized factor in organic carbon cycling through grasslands and other ecosystems dominated by Si‐accumulating plants.