Phytolithic analysis of geological sediments from Panama

Abstract

The analysis of phytoliths, microscopic pieces of silica formed within the cells of living plants, is a recent addition to archaeobotanical studies in the New World (Carbone, 1977; Pearsall, 1978; Lewis, 1981; Robinson, 1983; Piperno, 1983, 1984, in press, a; Piperno & Clary, 1984). Because these mineralized bodies are very resistant to destruction in soils over long periods of time, they have enormous, and for the most part, untapped potential in ecological reconstruction. However, phytoliths are at the stage in their development as an analytical technique where much of the Easic research into the taxonomy of their bodies, their distribution in soils, and their application to various research problems remains to be resolved. Hence, as various authors have indicated (Pearsall, 1982 ; Rovner, 1983; Piperno, 1983), a considerable amount of baseline research remains to be carried out in order to properly delineate the strengths and limitations of phytolith analysis in paleo-ecological reconstruction