Journal
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
Volume 58, Issue 3, Pages 587-600Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS LTD ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/S0272-7714(03)00137-9
Keywords
phytoliths; silica bodies; grasses; microfossils; coastal environments; Quaternary; southeastern USA
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Thirty-four grass species were collected for phytolith analysis from a variety of coastal environments in the southeastern USA (Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana), including salt marshes, freshwater/brackish marshes, pine/oak forests, maritime hardwood forests, and sand dunes. Phytoliths produced by these modern grasses include a large diversity of shapes and types. We propose a preliminary relationship between modern coastal plant communities and their predominant phytolith contents. The dominant grasses of coastal sand dunes, such as Uniola paniculata, produce primarily flat tower and two-horned tower phytoliths. Rondel/saddle ellipsoid phytoliths are mainly produced by Spartina alterniflora, the most common plant in coastal salt marshes. Rondel and spool/horned tower phytoliths are common in brackish marsh grasses. Plants from interdune meadow produce primarily dumbbell phytoliths, as well as small cross and Cyperaceae-type phytoliths. These results provide a basis for the interpretation of fossil phytolith assemblages and the reconstruction of coastal environmental changes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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