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Plants can readily uptake silicate in the form of H 4 SiO 4 for the formation of phytoliths. Phytoliths are tiny rigid structures found within plant cells that aid in the structural integrity of the plant. [2] Phytoliths also serve to protect the plants from consumption by herbivores who are unable to consume and digest silica-rich plants ...
Phytoliths (from Greek, "plant stone") are rigid, microscopic structures made of silica, found in some plant tissues and persisting after the decay of the plant. These plants take up silica from the soil, whereupon it is deposited within different intracellular and extracellular structures of the plant. Phytoliths come in varying shapes and ...
The carbonate-silicate cycle is the primary control on carbon dioxide levels over long timescales. [ 3 ] It can be seen as a branch of the carbon cycle, which also includes the organic carbon cycle, in which biological processes convert carbon dioxide and water into organic matter and oxygen via photosynthesis. [ 5 ]
For example, microscopic particles of silica called phytoliths can be found in grasses and other plants. Silica is an amorphous metalloid oxide formed by complex inorganic polymerization processes. This is opposed to the other major biogenic minerals, comprising carbonate and phosphate , which occur in nature as crystalline iono-covalent solids ...
A biogeochemical cycle, or more generally a cycle of matter, [1] is the movement and transformation of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms, the atmosphere, and the Earth's crust. Major biogeochemical cycles include the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle and the water cycle. In each cycle, the chemical element or molecule is ...
A silicate mineral is generally an inorganic compound consisting of subunits with the formula [SiO 2+n] 2n−. Although depicted as such, the description of silicates as anions is a simplification. Balancing the charges of the silicate anions are metal cations, M x+. Typical cations are Mg 2+, Fe 2+, and Na +.
A silicate is any member of a family of polyatomic anions consisting of silicon and oxygen, usually with the general formula [SiO(4-2x)−. 4−x] n, where 0 ≤ x < 2. The family includes orthosilicate SiO4− 4 (x = 0), metasilicate SiO2− 3 (x = 1), and pyrosilicate Si2O6− 7 (x = 0.5, n = 2). The name is also used for any salt of such ...
A diatom(Neo-Latindiatoma)[a]is any member of a large group comprising several generaof algae, specifically microalgae, found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world. Living diatoms make up a significant portion of the Earth's biomass: they generate about 20 to 50 percent of the oxygenproduced on the planet each year,[11][12]take in ...