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Related Experiment Videos

Silicification in Grasses: Variation between Different Cell Types.

Santosh Kumar1, Milan Soukup1, Rivka Elbaum1

  • 1Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Rehovot, Israel.

Frontiers in Plant Science
|April 13, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Plants deposit silicon through passive or active uptake, forming silica. This review reveals grass silica deposition varies by cell type, including spontaneous and directed modes.

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Area of Science:

  • Plant Biology
  • Biogeochemistry
  • Mineralogy

Background:

  • Plants absorb silicon as monosilicic acid, derived from silicate mineral weathering.
  • Silicon is deposited in plants as amorphous hydrated silica, primarily in grasses.
  • Existing research presents contrasting theories on silica deposition mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence for passive and active silicification mechanisms in plants.
  • To propose that silica deposition mechanisms are cell-type specific.
  • To categorize grass silica deposition into distinct modes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of plant silicon uptake and deposition studies.
  • Analysis of proposed passive and active silicification pathways.
Keywords:
cell wallgrassesinflorescence bractsroot endodermissilica cellssilicification mechanismtranspirationtrichomes

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  • Synthesis of findings to propose a cell-type specific model.

    • Main Results:

    • Silicification can occur passively via dehydration-induced condensation or actively through biological factors.
    • Silicification is not always correlated with transpiration.
    • Evidence supports distinct deposition mechanisms across different grass cell types.

    Conclusions:

    • Grass silica deposition is cell-type specific.
    • Three distinct modes of silica deposition are identified: spontaneous cell wall silicification, directed cell wall silicification, and directed paramural silicification in silica cells.