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

气候变化，加上预计干旱发生率增加和生长季节延长，很可能改变森林的养分供应和需求。硅（Si）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元素。它最近吸引了很多兴趣，因为它在减轻二氧化碳浓度增加的影响方面发挥了作用。我最近的研究表明，糖枫和山毛榉，两个主要的硬木在美国东北部，可能是积极的硅。如果得到证实，这将表明它需要以最佳水平生长，研究人员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.