Editorial: Plant Silicon Interactions between Organisms and the Implications for Ecosystems

Silicon (Si) is a beneficial, if not essential, plant nutrient (Epstein, 1994). As the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust it has a global cycling budget similar to that of carbon (Conley, 2002). Some ecological roles of Si are characterized (Cooke and Leishman, 2011), but recent technological advances mean unprecedented understanding of functions at multiple scales, and recognition of its importance to global biogeochemical cycling and food security. We present eight original research papers and an opinion article highlighting the novelty and diversity of recent research. New methods, fresh approaches in both applied and fundamental Si research, innovative herbivore defense experiments, ecosystem-scale field measurements, and Si changes under climate change are investigated. The diversity of topics reveals the complexity of plant responses in terms of Si accumulation, distribution, and function, which are contingent on genotype, biotic interactions, and environmental conditions