Opal Phytoliths in Southeast Asian Flora

摘要

One of the major uses of phytolith analysis is the reconstruction of regional211u001eenvironmental histories. As a relatively new subset of paleoecology, reference 211u001ecollections and studies of phytolith distributions and morphology are still 211u001erelatively few. This article summarizes a study of phytolith form and 211u001edistribution across a broad spectrum of 77 families of both monocotyledons and 211u001edicotyledons. A total of 800 samples from different plant parts of 377 species 211u001ewere analyzed, with diagnostic phytoliths occurring in nine monocotyledon and 26 211u001edicotyledon families. These diagnostic types are described and illustrated 211u001eherein. Poaceae phytoliths were not included in this review because they warrant 211u001emore detailed and systematic description. The wide distribution of diagnostic 211u001ephytoliths across all basic habitats described for Thailand, demonstrated herein, 211u001eindicates that phytolith and analysis has great potential for paleoecological 211u001ereconstruction.