Category: Labwork

The first project phytolith identification is in! Dr. Harper Dine identified a spheroid echinate phytolith from Arecaceae (the palm family) after processing the first batch of Bladen Legacy sediments. A palm (Asytrocaryum mexicanum) was one of the most abundant trees in the 2024 botanical plots, including the botanical plot that this phytolith came from, so this identification goes hand-in-hand with ecological observations on the ground.

Phytoliths are produced by plants within and between their cells. Made up of biogenic silica, these structures can often survive in soils long after the plant that produced them has decayed.

Contributed by Dr. Harper Dine

Phytolith processing of soils collected during the 2024 field season has begun at the University of Exeter Chem Lab! To maximize phytolith visibility under the microscope, the soils must undergo an extensive sequence of steps including deflocculation (breaking up clumps), sieving, clay removal, and digestion of carbonates and organics. Here you can see the dramatic before-and-after from clay removal.

Phytolith datasets from these samples will contribute to our understanding of long-term ecology, plant management, and agriculture in the region. Keep an eye out for exciting updates!

Sediments retrieved during the 2024 field season will be analysed for pollen, charcoal, and phytolith content, along with their geochemical composition. These components reveal the environments through time present in the Bladen project area.

This week, the lab at the University of Exeter is up and running for macrocharcoal analysis. This dataset will reveal fire incidence through time. More soon!