Dynamics and drivers of the protozoic Si pool along a 10-year chronosequence of initial ecosystem states

  • The size and dynamics of biogenic silicon (BSi) pools influence silicon (Si) fluxes from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems. The research focus up to now was on the role of plants in Si cycling. In recent studies on old forests annual biosilicification rates of idiosomic testate amoebae (i.e. TA producing self-secreted silica shells) were shown to be of the order of Si uptake by trees. However, no comparable data exist for initial ecosystems. We analyzed the protozoic BSi pool (idiosomic TA), corresponding annual biosilicification rates and readily available and amorphous Si fractions along a 10-year chronosequence in a post-mining landscape in Brandenburg, Germany. Idiosomic Si pools ranged from 3 to 680 g Si ha−1 and were about 3–4 times higher at vegetated compared to uncovered spots. They increased significantly with age and were related to temporal development of soil chemical properties. The calculation of annual biosilicification resulted in maxima between 2 and 16 kg Si ha−1 with rates always higher at vegetated spots. OurThe size and dynamics of biogenic silicon (BSi) pools influence silicon (Si) fluxes from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems. The research focus up to now was on the role of plants in Si cycling. In recent studies on old forests annual biosilicification rates of idiosomic testate amoebae (i.e. TA producing self-secreted silica shells) were shown to be of the order of Si uptake by trees. However, no comparable data exist for initial ecosystems. We analyzed the protozoic BSi pool (idiosomic TA), corresponding annual biosilicification rates and readily available and amorphous Si fractions along a 10-year chronosequence in a post-mining landscape in Brandenburg, Germany. Idiosomic Si pools ranged from 3 to 680 g Si ha−1 and were about 3–4 times higher at vegetated compared to uncovered spots. They increased significantly with age and were related to temporal development of soil chemical properties. The calculation of annual biosilicification resulted in maxima between 2 and 16 kg Si ha−1 with rates always higher at vegetated spots. Our results showed that the BSi pool of idiosomic TA is built up rapidly during the initial phases of ecosystem development and is strongly linked to plant growth. Furthermore, our findings highlight the importance of TA for Si cycling in young artificial ecosystems.show moreshow less

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Author: Daniel Puppe, Danuta Kaczorek, Manfred Wanner, Michael Sommer
DOI:https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2014.06.011
ISSN:0925-8574
Title of the source (English):Ecological Engineering
Document Type:Scientific journal article peer-reviewed
Language:English
Year of publication:2014
Issue number:70
First Page:477
Last Page:482
Faculty/Chair:Fakultät 2 Umwelt und Naturwissenschaften / FG Ökologie
Institution name at the time of publication:Fakultät für Umweltwissenschaften und Verfahrenstechnik (eBTU) / LS Allgemeine Ökologie
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