Ecology of testate amoebae along an environmental gradient from bogs to calcareous fens in East-Central Europe: development of transfer functions for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions

0560879 - BÚ 2023 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Šímová, A. - Jiroušek, M. - Singh, P. - Hájková, Petra - Hájek, M.
Ecology of testate amoebae along an environmental gradient from bogs to calcareous fens in East-Central Europe: development of transfer functions for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. Roč. 601, SEP 1 2022 (2022), č. článku 111145. ISSN 0031-0182. E-ISSN 1872-616X
Institutional support: RVO:67985939
Keywords : protist * peatland * poor-rich gradient * water table
OECD category: Ecology
Impact factor: 3, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2022.111145

Testate amoebae play an important role in biomonitoring and the understanding of peatland (palaeo)ecology. However, their application has been mainly limited to Sphagnum-dominated peatlands, especially ombrotrophic bogs. To facilitate wider use of these microorganisms, we explored their ecology along a gradient from mineral-poor acidic bogs to mineral-rich calcareous fens with tufa formation using a new calibration dataset of over 250 samples from East-Central Europe. Specifically, we examined environmental controls on testate amoebae along the complete gradient and separately in the minerotrophic (pH >5.5) and ombrotrophic (pH ˂ 5) parts. Based on these findings, we developed and statistically evaluated transfer function models for the dominant factors controlling the community composition of these protists. The new models open up the possibility for testate amoebae to become a valuable tool in palaeoecological research.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0333663