Opal phytoliths as an indicator of the floristics of prehistoric grasslands
A strong relationship between current vegetation and the opal phytolith content of surface soil was established. Opal phytoliths obtained from buried soil surface horizons 200–800 years old were then used to establish a profile of the vegetation present on four sites within Capitol Reef National Par...
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| Published in: | Geoderma Vol. 68; no. 4; pp. 243 - 255 |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier B.V
01-11-1995
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| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | A strong relationship between current vegetation and the opal phytolith content of surface soil was established. Opal phytoliths obtained from buried soil surface horizons 200–800 years old were then used to establish a profile of the vegetation present on four sites within Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA, prior to European settlement. The plant communities so reconstructed contained more forbs and/or shrubs than present-day communities and were dominated by cool-season rather than warm-season grasses. Although these differences could be due to climate change, the pattern of change from cool-season to warm-season grasses is not consistent with the accepted pattern of climate change. Grazing pressure could account for this change in plant community composition. Livestock tend to graze Capitol Reef in the cool season, and the area is rested from grazing during the warm season. This pattern could account for the decline in cool-season grasses. Phytolith analyses can serve as an alternative method for assessing the impact of management on grasslands. This method is particularly valuable when no comparable “undisturbed” control area exists. |
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| ISSN: | 0016-7061 1872-6259 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/0016-7061(95)00044-9 |