The March issue of Trends in Ecology and Evolution, the highest-ranking ecology journal, included a paper about the drivers and consequences of silicon accumulation in plants. The paper discusses the energetic costs of silicon accumulation, and it effects on plant and ecosystem functioning. Dr Ofir Katz from the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, one of the authors, says: “Until twenty years ago the field of plant silicon was considered esoteric. In recent years, there is an impressive surge of studies in the field, which gains an important place in botanical and ecological research. Our paper presents the changes in how perceive the importance of silicon in plant life. Nowadays we understand that the costs of silicon accumulation to the plant are greater than previously thought, but the benefits to the plants and the effects on ecosystems is also far greater than previously thought”. How central is silicon for understanding the plant world? “One of the more impressive revelations of Felix de Tombeur, the leading author of the paper, is that plant silicon content is integral to the plant’s trait diversity. In fact, one cannot fully understand the complexity of this diversity and its significance to plant survival and for plant composition in ecosystems without considering this trait. It significantly improves the models we have for understanding the interrelations between environmental conditions, vegetation and ecosystem functions such as carbon fixation”. Will DSASC become a silicon valley? “Maybe not computer-wise, but surely plant-wise.
In September the Dead Sea will truly become a silicon valley for a week, when we host a large international conference in the field. And of course the research continues in full throttle” – says Ofir.
