Variation in the soil 'silicon landscape' explains plant silica accumulation across environmental gradients in Serengeti

摘要

Beneficial aspects of plant silicon (Si) have been identified, but little is known about how multiple abiotic conditions interact in a natural environment to influence plant Si-accumulation. Consequently, we identified abiotic correlates of soil and plant Si pools in a pristine African savanna and quantified relationships among precipitation, soil properties, and grass silicon concentration along environmental gradients.