Development of a new pan-European testate amoeba transfer function for reconstructing peatland palaeohydrology

Amesbury, Matthew J.; Swindles, Graeme T.; Bobrov, Anatoly; Charman, Dan J.; Holden, Joseph; Lamentowicz, Mariusz; Mallon, Gunnar; Mazei, Yuri A.; Mitchell, Edward A. D.; Payne, Richard J.; Roland, Thomas P.; Turner, T. Edward; Warner, Barry G.

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.09.024

Cited by 122 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 72 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

113

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, the results for Trinema lineare here showing tendency towards wetter conditions are somewhat surprising. While many studies have suggested dry optima for this taxon (or groups containing this taxon) (Amesbury et al 2016), our results suggest very high abundance in many samples with high moisture content. It is plausible that this may relate to pseudocryptic diversity in this diminutive taxon which is difficult to observe in detail at standard magnifications.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 80%

“…To calibrate these records more than thirty studies of modern communities have been undertaken with the aim to produce species-environment models ('transfer functions') to allow palaeoecological data to be interpreted in quantitative terms (Payne et al 2012aTsyganov et al 2016). There is now increasing interest in combining these individual studies into larger datasets which can be used to draw broader conclusions (Amesbury et al 2016, Booth 2008.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Exploring the diversity and ecology of testate amoebae in West Siberian peatlands

Mazei¹,

Chernyshov²,

Bukhkalo³

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Testate amoebae are valued for their functional significance and application as indicators of environmental conditions, particularly in peatland ecosystems. Research on testate amoebae has increased dramatically in recent years but there are still large parts of the world which have seen very little research. Here we consider testate amoeba communities of the West Siberian Lowland, the world's largest peatland region and therefore one of the largest potential habitats for testate amoebae. Extensive sampling identified 89 taxa and showed that testate amoeba communities are structured by their physical and biological environment. We identified significant relationships between amoeba communities and both moisture content and vegetation composition. Despite the assemblages containing many widely-distributed species, some taxa considered typical of peatlands (e.g. Archerella flavum and Hyalosphenia papilio) were comparatively rare or absent, paralleling findings further south in Asia. We suggest that testate amoebae in this region deserve further study and may have useful applications in palaeoecological reconstruction and as bioindicators of the impacts of oil and gas extraction.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 80%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the diversity and ecology of testate amoebae in West Siberian peatlands

Mazei¹,

Chernyshov²,

Bukhkalo³

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A testate amoeba transfer function for inferring water‐table levels is not available for the ABS region, hence a transfer function from eastern Canada, which included samples from a permafrost (palsa) peatland, was applied to the assemblages (Lamarre et al., ), hereafter referred to as ECTF. Many testate amoeba taxa show similar water‐table optima in transfer functions from different regions and continents which may justify the use of transfer functions trained on surface data from relatively remote regions (Amesbury et al., ). For instance, common taxa such as A. flavum and Difflugia globulosa type are generally hydrophilous, while Assulina muscorum and Trigonopyxis arcula are xerophilous according to various transfer functions (Amesbury et al., ; Booth, ; Charman et al., ; Lamarre et al., ; Lamentowicz & Mitchell, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Testate amoebae are generally sensitive to peat moisture content and many studies have aimed to reconstruct past water‐table levels in peatlands around the globe, by the use of transfer functions (Amesbury et al., ; van Bellen et al., ; Booth, ; Charman, Blundell, & ACCROTELM Members, ; Lamarre, Magnan, Garneau, & Boucher, ; Lamentowicz & Mitchell, ; Swindles, Lamentowicz, Reczuga, & Galloway, ; Wilmshurst, Wiser, & Charman, ). Nevertheless, a range of environmental variables are known to be related to, and possibly directly affect testate amoebae, including pH (Charman & Warner, ; Lamentowicz & Mitchell, ), dust deposition (Fiałkiewicz‐Kozieł et al., ; Payne, ) and fire occurrence (Marcisz et al., ; Turner & Swindles, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testate amoeba records indicate regional 20th‐century lowering of water tables in ombrotrophic peatlands in central‐northern Alberta, Canada

Bellen

Magnan

Davies

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Testate amoebae are abundant in the surface layers of northern peatlands. Analysis of their fossilized shell (test) assemblages allows for reconstructions of local water-table depths (WTD). We have reconstructed WTD dynamics for five peat cores from peatlands ranging in distance from the Athabasca bituminous sands (ABS) region in western Canada. Amoeba assemblages were combined with plant macrofossil records, acid-insoluble ash (AIA) fluxes and instrumental climate data to identify drivers for environmental change. Two functional traits of testate amoebae, mixotrophy and the tendency to integrate xenogenic mineral matter in test construction, were quantified to infer possible effects of AIA flux on testate amoeba presence. Age-depth models showed the cores each covered at least the last ~315 years, with some spanning the last millennium. Testate amoeba assemblages were likely affected by permafrost development in two of the peatlands, yet the most important shift in assemblages was detected after 1960 CE. This shift represents a significant apparent lowering of water tables in four out of five cores, with a mean drop of ~15 cm. Over the last 50 years, assemblages shifted towards more xerophilous taxa, a trend which was best explained by increasing Sphagnum s. Acutifolia and, to a lesser extent, mean summer temperature. This trend was most evident in the two cores from the sites located farthest away from the ABS region. AIA flux variations did not show a clear effect on mineral-agglutinating taxa, nor on S. s. Acutifolia presence. We therefore suggest the drying trend was forced by the establishment of S. s. Acutifolia, driven by enhanced productivity following regional warming. Such recent apparent drying of peatlands, which may only be reconstructed by appropriate indicators combined with high chronological control, may affect vulnerability to future burning and promote emissions of CO .

show abstract

“…Testate amoebae are a group of shelled protozoans common to a range of aquatic and terrestrial environments, from lakes and ponds to saltmarshes and peatlands (Roe et al 2002;Roe and Patterson 2006;Amesbury et al 2016). In lake environments lobose forms of the group dominate (Rhizopoda; Arcellinida).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Refining the palaeoecology of lacustrine testate amoebae: insights from a plant macrofossil record from a eutrophic Scottish lake

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Arcellinida (lobose testate amoebae) preserve well in lake sediments and have shown great potential as palaeolimnological indicators, but a limited understanding of their ecology prevents more indepth interpretations of both contemporary and fossil assemblages. Loch Leven, Scotland, has a well-documented history of nutrient-enrichment and associated lake biological change, creating a temporal gradient along which testate amoeba ecology can be investigated. Plant macrofossil data from a dated sediment core (LEVE14) indicate that a transition from oligomesotrophic to eutrophic conditions occurred over at least the last 200 years, enabling direct comparisons to be drawn with fossil testate amoeba assemblages from the same core. Cluster analysis and principal components analysis show that testate amoebae and macrophytes responded synchronously to an early phase of nutrient-enrichment after ca. AD 1200, and to anthropogenic water-level lowering and further enrichment after ca. AD 1830. The results of indicator species analysis (IndVal) support the suggestion inferred previously that Cucurbitella tricuspis is an indicator of nutrient-enrichment, while the association of some less abundant taxa, specifically Difflugia amphora and Mediolus corona, with eutrophic environments is also corroborated. Overall, the testate amoeba assemblage response appears to reflect a complex interaction of factors which were ultimately driven by eutrophication. These include variations in microhabitat associated with changing plant structure and sedimentary conditions influenced by macrophyte community succession. In particular, a shift from an oligo-mesotrophic macrophyte assemblage composed of isoetid plants to one dominated by Potamogeton spp. and dense stands of Characeae is suggested to influence the relative proportions of sediment dwelling and plant-associated testate amoebae. The results highlight the utility of testate amoebae as benthic indicators of lake nutrient-enrichment and demonstrate the value of using multi-proxy palaeolimnological data to refine the ecology of lesser-studied palaeoecological groups.

show abstract

Development of a new pan-European testate amoeba transfer function for reconstructing peatland palaeohydrology

Cited by 122 publications

References 72 publications

Exploring the diversity and ecology of testate amoebae in West Siberian peatlands

Exploring the diversity and ecology of testate amoebae in West Siberian peatlands

Testate amoeba records indicate regional 20th‐century lowering of water tables in ombrotrophic peatlands in central‐northern Alberta, Canada

Refining the palaeoecology of lacustrine testate amoebae: insights from a plant macrofossil record from a eutrophic Scottish lake

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About