Phytolith indices as proxies of grass subfamilies on East African tropical mountains

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dc.contributor.authorBremonda, Laurent
dc.contributor.authorAlexandrea, Anne
dc.contributor.authorWoollerb, Matthew J.
dc.contributor.authorHélya, Christelle
dc.contributor.authorWilliamsona, David
dc.contributor.authorSchäferc, Peter A.
dc.contributor.authorMajule, Amos
dc.contributor.authorGuiota, Joël
dc.date.accessioned2016-02-22T09:48:02Z
dc.date.available2016-02-22T09:48:02Z
dc.date.issued2007
dc.description.abstractThe main objective of this paper is to provide researchers that investigate fossil phytolith assemblages and model/data comparisons a new tool for estimating C3/C4 grass composition over time. We tested the reliability of modern soil phytolith assemblages and phytolith indices for tracing the dominance of different grass subfamilies and tree cover density. We analyzed modern soil phytolith assemblages from sites over elevation gradients on Mount Kenya (Kenya), Mount Rungwe and around Lake Masoko (southern Tanzania). These data were compared with available botanical data. A phytolith index named Ic, proved to be an effective proxy of the proportions of Pooideae, Arundinoideae and Bambusoideae grasses (mainly C3 grasses) versus Panicoideae grasses (mainly C4 grasses), increasing with elevation in East-Africa. When tropical mountains are covered by open habitats (e.g. grasses and shrublands), Ic should be a reliable proxy of the C3/C4 grass composition. These results highlight the value of the phytolith index Ic, when interpreting paleo-environmental records from tropical mountains, to: 1) better understand past local and regional C3/C4 grass distributions and associated climatic changes and 2) increase the set of C3/C4 data available for model/data comparisons.en_US
dc.identifier.citationLaurent Bremond., Anne Alexandre., Mathew J Wooller., Christelle Hely., David Williamson., Peter A. Schafer., Amos Majule., and Joel Guiot (2007). Phytolith indices as proxies of grass subfamilies on east African tropical mountains. Global and Planetary Change 61: pp 209-224en_US
dc.identifier.other10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.08.016
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/479
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherElsevieren_US
dc.subjectphytolithen_US
dc.subjectpaleovegetationen_US
dc.subjectC3en_US
dc.subjectC4en_US
dc.subjectgrassen_US
dc.subjectwoodlanden_US
dc.subjectEast Africaen_US
dc.titlePhytolith indices as proxies of grass subfamilies on East African tropical mountainsen_US
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