Sugarcane Field Burning

This is a fragment of ash and char fallout from the smoke plume of a burning sugarcane field. The stomata and charred silica barbell phytoliths are evident in this image. The barbell phytoliths appear black because they are coated with carbon.

Transmitted Brightfield Illumination

Definition/Function:

Significance in the Environment:

Characteristic Features:

Associated Particles:

References:

Rapp, George Jr. and Susan C. Mulholland (eds) 1992, PHYTOLITH SYSTEMACTICS: EMERGING ISSUES, PLENUM PRESS Piperno, Dolores R. (2006), PHYTOLITHS: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FOR ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND PALEOECOLOGISTS, ALTAMIRA PRESS.