Neoformed aluminosilicate and phytogenic silica are competitive sinks in the silicon soil-plant cycle Ghent University
In soils, mineral weathering and phytolith dissolution release aqueous monosilicic acid that can be taken up by plant, adsorbed on mineral surfaces, entrapped in neoformed clay minerals, or exported to watersheds. The balance between biotic and abiotic processes determines the fluxes of bioavailable silicon (Si), impacting plant growth and health, and diatoms biomass, hence the oceanic capacity to fix carbon dioxide. Here we quantified this ...