Historical land use change has lowered terrestrial silica mobilization

Continental export of Si to the coastal zone is closely linked to the ocean carbon sink and to the dynamics of phytoplankton blooms in coastal ecosystems. Presently, however, the impact of human cultivation of the landscape on terrestrial Si fluxes remains unquantified and is not incorporated in models for terrestrial Si mobilization. In this paper, we show that land use is the most important controlling factor of Si mobilization in temperate European watersheds, with sustained cultivation (>250 years) of formerly forested areas leading to a twofold to threefold decrease in baseflow delivery of Si. This is a breakthrough in our understanding of the biogeochemical Si cycle: it shows that human cultivation of the landscape should be recognized as an important controlling factor of terrestrial Si fluxes.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

The accumulation of phytolith-occluded carbon in soils of different grasslands

Purpose A better understanding of the role of grassland systems in producing and storing phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) will provide crucial information in addressing global climate change caused by a rapid increase in the atmospheric CO2 concentration. Materials and methods Soil samples of typical steppe, meadow steppe, and meadow in Inner Mongolia, China, were taken at 0-10-, 10-20-, 20-40-, and 40-60-cm depths in July and August of 2015. The soil phytoliths were isolated by heavy liquid (ZnBr2), and the soil PhytOC was determined by the traditional potassium dichromate method. Results and discussion The results of our study showed that the storage of soil phytoliths was significantly higher in the meadow (33.44 +/- 0.91 t ha(-1)) cf. meadow steppe (26.8 +/- 0.98 t ha(-1)) and typical steppe (21.19 +/- 4.91 t ha(-1)), which were not different. The soil PhytOC storage was significantly different among grassland types, being: meadow (0.39 +/- 0.01 t ha(-1)) >meadow steppe (0.29 +/- 0.02 t ha(-1)) > typical steppe (0.23 +/- 0.02 t ha(-1)). PhytOC storage in typical steppe soil within the 0-60-cm soil layer is the lowest and that in meadow soils is the highest. The grassland type and the soil condition play significant roles in accumulation of phytoliths and PhytOC in different grassland soils. We suggest that the aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) is important in soil phytolith accumulation and PhytOC content. Conclusions Phytolith and PhytOC storages in grassland soil are influenced by factors such as grass type, local climate and soil conditions, and management practices. Management practices to increase grass biomass production can significantly enhance phytolith C sequestration.National Natural Science Foundation of China [41522207, 41571130042]; State's Key Project of Research and Development Plan of China [2016YFA0601002]SCI(E)ARTICLE102420-24271