Isolation of a wide range of minerals from a thermally treated plant: Equisetum arvense, a Mare’s tale

Silica is the second most abundant biomineral being exceeded in nature only by biogenic CaCO3. Many land plants (such as rice, cereals, cucumber, etc.) deposit silica in significant amounts to reinforce their tissues and as a systematic response to pathogen attack. One of the most ancient species of living vascular plants, Equisetum arvense is also able to take up and accumulate silica in all parts of the plant. Numerous methods have been developed for elimination of the organic material and/or metal ions present in plant material to isolate biogenic silica. However, depending on the chemical and/or physical treatment applied to branch or stem from Equisetum arvense; other mineral forms such glass-type materials (i.e. CaSiO3), salts (i.e. KCl) or luminescent materials can also be isolated from the plant material. In the current contribution, we show the chemical and/or thermal routes that lead to the formation of a number of different mineral types in addition to biogenic silica

Abrasive, Silica Phytoliths and the Evolution of Thick Molar Enamel in Primates, with Implications for the Diet of Paranthropus boisei

Background: Primates—including fossil species of apes and hominins—show variation in their degree of molar enamel thickness, a trait long thought to reflect a diet of hard or tough foods. The early hominins demonstrated molar enamel thickness of moderate to extreme degrees, which suggested to most researchers that they ate hard foods obtained on or near the ground, such as nuts, seeds, tubers, and roots. We propose an alternative hypothesis—that the amount of phytoliths in foods correlates with the evolution of thick molar enamel in primates, although this effect is constrained by a species ’ degree of folivory. Methodology/Principal Findings: From a combination of dietary data and evidence for the levels of phytoliths in plant families in the literature, we calculated the percentage of plant foods rich in phytoliths in the diets of twelve extant primates with wide variation in their molar enamel thickness. Additional dietary data from the literature provided the percentage of each primate’s diet made up of plants and of leaves. A statistical analysis of these variables showed that the amount of abrasive silica phytoliths in the diets of our sample primates correlated positively with the thickness of their molar enamel, constrained by the amount of leaves in their diet (R 2 = 0.875; p,.0006). Conclusions/Significance: The need to resist abrasion from phytoliths appears to be a key selective force behind the evolution of thick molar enamel in primates. The extreme molar enamel thickness of the teeth of the East African homini

Comparison of two methods for the isolation of phytolith occluded carbon from plant material

Background and aims Phytolith occluded carbon (PhytOC) is of interest for isotope studies, dating of sediments and the capture and storage of carbon. Many methodologies have been used for the isolation of phytoliths from plant material; however, there are wide disparities in the PhytOC contents when determined by different methodologies. In this study we examine the utility of the two main methods used for quantifying PhytOC. Methods These methods are: (1) a microwave digestion followed by a Walkley-Black digestion, and (2) H2SO4/H2O2. Results Method (1) produced PhytOC values over 50 times higher than those acquired by method (2). SEM examination indicated that the differences were likely due to shattering of the phytoliths by method (2) allowing consumption by the acid and peroxide of PhytOC . Conclusion These results indicate that for the samples analysed here: 1] the modified microwave method allowed the total PhytOC to be measured, 2] the H2SO4/H2O2 method allowed the PhytOC within the tightly packed silica matrix to be measured, and 3] the PhytOC retained within the phytolith cavities could possibly be calculated by subtracting 2] from 1]. For the samples analysed here most of the PhytOC resided in the phytolith cavities