Silicification is the most important process of fossilization resulting in the preservation of internal tissues in plants, thereby providing essential information on the anatomy, life history, and evolution of land plants. However, fundamental knowledge of silica uptake, precipitation, and contribution to in situ plant fossilization is limited. To identify the cellular pathway of aqueous silica and subsequent fluid–wood interaction processes, we investigated upright standing young trees of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) in the hot‐spring environment of Cistern Spring, Yellowstone National Park, USA. Our multi‐method analytical approach using x‐ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalyses shows that the surficial and internally co‐precipitated silica–halite–gypsum assemblage traces the flow of silica‐rich fluid and documents fluid retention after short‐term hot‐spring water immersion and evaporation. Element distribution maps reveal systematic 2D and 3D differences between silica quantities deposited in earlywood and latewood. The distribution of inorganic impurities in cell walls traces the anatomical structure of the wood and indicates rapid migration of homogeneous fluid into the waterlogged organic substrate. Our results show that the preferential pathway of silica‐rich fluid into the above‐ground wood was through the decorticated periphery which took place during a short‐term flooding, ranging from days to weeks, of hot‐spring fluid. In conclusion, the fluid retention capability in cellular pore space controls the in situ silicification process. The silicification of trees in growth position is a rapid process in which the in vivo transport of silica‐rich fluid upward through the secondary xylem plays an insignificant role.

中文翻译：

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温泉环境中立木中的二氧化硅进入和积累：细胞途径，快速步伐和化石潜力

硅化作用是最重要的化石过程，可保护植物内部组织，从而提供有关陆地植物的解剖结构，生活史和进化的重要信息。但是，二氧化硅吸收，沉淀以及对原位植物石化的贡献的基础知识是有限的。为了确定二氧化硅水溶液的细胞途径和随后的水-木相互作用过程，我们研究了立式立木的黑松（Pinus contorta），位于美国黄石国家公园（Cistern Spring）的温泉环境中。我们使用x射线衍射，拉曼光谱，扫描电子显微镜和电子探针显微分析的多方法分析方法表明，表面和内部共沉淀的硅石-卤石-石膏组合可追踪富硅石流体的流动并记录流体保留经过短期的温泉水浸泡和蒸发。元素分布图揭示了沉积在早木和晚木中的二氧化硅量之间的系统性2D和3D差异。无机杂质在细胞壁中的分布可追溯木材的解剖结构，并表明均质流体快速迁移到浸水的有机基质中。我们的结果表明，富含二氧化硅的流体优先进入地上木材的途径是经过装饰的外围，该外围发生在温泉流体的短期泛滥过程中，从几天到几周不等。总之，细胞孔隙空间中的液体保留能力控制着原位硅化过程。树木在生长位置的硅化作用是一个快速过程，其中体内富含二氧化硅的流体通过次生木质部向上传输的作用微不足道。