The role of silicon in temperate and boreal forest ecosystems in a changing environment

气候变化及其预计的更高的干旱发生率和更长的生长季节可能会改变森林的养分供应和需求。硅是土壤中含量最丰富的元素之一，现在被认为是某些物种的营养物质。它最近因其在缓解二氧化碳浓度上升的影响方面的作用而引起了人们的极大兴趣。我最近的研究表明，糖枫和山毛榉这两种美国东北部的主要硬木可能是硅的活跃累积者。如果得到证实，这将表明它需要在最佳水平上生长，研究人员一直低估了它在这些物种中的作用。

Climate change with its predicted higher incidence of droughts and longer growing seasons is likely to change the nutrient supply and requirements of forests. Silicon (Si), one of the most abundant element in soils, is now considered a nutrient for some species. It has attracted lots of interests lately for its role in mitigating the effects of increasing CO2 concentrations. My recent research indicates that sugar maple and beech, two dominant hardwoods in northeastern America, may be active accumulators of Si. If confirmed, this would suggest that it is required to grow at optimum levels and that researchers have been underestimating its role in these species.