Testate amoebae communities from aquatic habitats in the Arctic

Summary Forty taxa of testate amoebae were found in 15 aquatic samples collected in East Greenland (Angmasssalik Region), Jan Mayen and N.W. Spitsbergen. The number of species per sample is rather small, and the contribution of strictly aquatic species to the fauna is limited. A geographical shift in the importance of some genera can be demonstrated. Centropyxis aerophila and Paraquadrula irregularis are two of the most frequent species. The first-named is characteristic for acidoligotrophic waters, while the latter belongs to an alkaline-mesotrophic community. A third community is named after the commonest species, Trinema lineare. It seems to prefer a somewhat intermediate type of water.     

Terrestrial soil diatom assemblages from different vegetation types in Zackenberg (Northeast Greenland)

A total of 81 taxa were observed from 30 soil samples taken from 5 different vegetation types in Northeast Greenland. Most of the dominant diatoms are well-known cosmopolitan aerophilic taxa; only Caloneis aerophila and Pinnularia lagerstedtii are less widespread species. The valve lengths of P. borealis and Hantzschia amphioxys are correlated with the moisture content of the soils. Average cell number/g dry weight of soil amounts to 1,120,000 ± 740,000. In a TWINSPAN classification, the soils of the different vegetation types are separated, with the exception of the Vaccinium soils, which are grouped partly with the Cassiope samples and partly with the Salix soils. In a CCA ordination diagram, the Navicula atomus–Fragilaria elliptica assemblage shows a positive correlation with organic content and pH and a negative one with permafrost depth. The Pinnularia divergentissima var. martinii–P. obscura assemblage is positively correlated with moisture. The Pinnularia lagerstedtii–Caloneis aerophila assemblage is positively correlated with permafrost depth and negatively with pH and moisture. Accepted: 27 November 1999     

Soil fauna communities and microbial respiration in high Arctic tundra soils at Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland

The soil fauna communities were described for three dominant vegetation types in a high arctic site at Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland. Soil samples were extracted to quantify the densities of mites, collembolans, enchytraeids, diptera larvae, nematodes and protozoa. Rates of microbial respiration were also assessed. Collembolans were found in highest densities in dry heath soil, about 130,000 individuals m⁻², more than twice as high as in mesic heath soils. Enchytraeids, diptera larvae and nematodes were also more abundant in the dry heath soil than in mesic heath soils, whereas protozoan densities (naked amoeba and heterotrophic flagellates) were equal. Respiration rate of unamended soil was similar in soil from the three plots. However, a higher respiration rate increase in carbon + nutrient amended soil and the higher densities of soil fauna (with the exception of mites and protozoa) in dry heath compared to the mesic heath soils indicated a higher decomposition rate here.     

Ecology of terrestrial testate amoebae assemblages from coastal Lowlands on Devon Island (NWT,Canadian Arctic)

Summary Fifty-seven taxa belonging to 17 genera of testate rhizopods were recorded in samples of mosses, soils and lichens, collected from the Truelove and Sparbo Hardy Lowlands on the high arctic Devon Island (NWT, Canada). Different groups of habitats are characterized by particular assemblages of Testacea species, with the quantity and quality of the available water as important ecological parameters. The Assulina muscorum-Corythion dubium assemblage characterizes the most dry and acidic moss habitats, while the Paraquadrula irregularis assemblage is to be found in wet and rather neutral habitats. The sedge moss meadows with their more moderately coarse textured and poorly drained soils, bear a Plagiopyxis callida-Plagiopyxis declivis soil-dwelling testate amoebae assemblage. The Centropyxis minuta assemblage lives in the most coarsely textured soils. pH seems to play a subordinate role, not only in the mosses but also in the soils. Multivariate methods (cluster analysis and CANOCO) have been used to separate these different assemblages.     

Freshwater testate amoebae in the Belaya River basin (Northwestern Caucasus)

Fifty-two species and intraspecific taxa of testate amoebae have been detected in 24 different habitats in the Belaya River basin (Northwestern Caucasus). Four types of communities are distinguished which differ in the composition of the complex of dominating species: freshwater species from bottom sediments in water bodies and water courses, soil-dwelling species from inundated parts of floodplains, a mixture of soildwelling and freshwater species in different littoral biotopes, and eurybiontic species in moss hummocks along the banks.     

Biodiversity of testate amoebae (Arcellinida and Euglyphida) in different habitats of a lake in the Upper Paraná River floodplain

This study aimed to investigate the testate amoebae (Arcellinida and Eugliphida) species diversity in plankton, macrophytes and aquatic sediment samples from a shallow lake of the Upper Paraná River floodplain. Samples were carried out from April 2007 to March 2008. We recorded 89 taxa, belonging to 10 families. Eighty-two taxa were found in the aquatic sediment, 71 in the macrophytes and 53 in the plankton. Highest values of alpha diversity were observed in the aquatic sediment. Although the plankton had the highest number of accidental species, accessory and constant species were also observed in this habitat. Most of the species classified as constant for the plankton belonged to the genus Arcella. Most of the constant species in the macrophytes and aquatic sediment belonged to the genus Difflugia. This study supports the idea that the presence of these protists in the plankton should not be attributed only to stochastic processes because (i) the species diversity recorded in this habitat was remarkably high in relation to the total biodiversity of the lake, and (ii) we also recorded frequent and constant species in the plankton.     

The role of the floodplain gradient in structuring of testate amoebae communities in the Ilych River

Forty-two testate amoebae taxa were identified in alluvial soils of floodplain islands in the Ilych River. Among the pedo- and eurybionts, there were aquatic rhizopods. Along the floodplain transect (willow meadow ?? deciduous forest ?? coniferous forest), the testate amoebae community changed directly. There are spatially homogeneous (low beta-diversity) testacean communities but species rich on the local level (high alpha-diversity) within forests. Within willows and meadows, communities are characterized by low alpha-diversity and high heterogeneity that leads to high gamma-diversity.     

Coexistence of bisexual and unisexual populations of Nysius groenlandicus in the Zackenberg Valley,Northeast Greenland

The seed‐feeding true bug Nysius groenlandicus (Zetterstedt) (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) has temperature and humidity preferences similar to many desert‐inhabiting insects. Nevertheless, it is widely distributed in Greenland and occurs even in high arctic areas. This seeming paradox implies that the species has developed physiological, ecological, and behavioral mechanisms that enable it to cope with the extreme arctic environment. One of these adaptations is its ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually. Sexual reproduction is most common in coastal populations, whereas asexual reproduction (parthenogenesis) occurs mainly in inland populations. Preliminary data from the Zackenberg Valley in Northeast Greenland indicated that both reproductive strategies occurred within the same area. We therefore decided to focus on this area to find evidence of (1) coexistence of unisexual and bisexual populations, (2) factors that correlate with the distribution of the two reproductive types, and (3) morphological differences between females from sexual and asexual populations. We sampled N. groenlandicus at 51 sites within the Zackenberg area. Males and females were found in almost equal numbers in only four of the samples, and only in samples taken close to the coast line, whereas samples from the inner part of the valley consisted almost entirely of females. Thus, the distribution of uni‐ and bisexual populations at the local scale agreed with the pattern previously found for Greenland as a whole. Using data obtained from two climate stations operated in the area, we showed that average summer temperatures tend to be more favorable for N. groenlandicus in the inner part of the valley than at the coast. The inland populations inhabited small isolated patches, whereas the sexual populations were found in the more homogeneous areas along the coast. Data support the hypothesis that coexistence of the two reproductive types is maintained by a combination of environmental variability, which gives sexual reproduction an advantage, and metapopulation dynamics characterized by frequent extinctions and re‐colonizations, which favors asexual reproduction. Head width of females from unisexual populations was on average 7% larger than that of females from bisexual populations. The mechanism behind this morphological difference needs further investigation.     

Biogeography of testate amoebae in the soils of Mexico

We studied testate amoebae (testates) in the soils of coniferous and deciduous forests and in the wetland and aquatic habitats of Mexico. In 141 samples we found 205 taxa identified to the species or intraspecies level and 68 testate amoebae, which could not be identified to the species level. The highest species diversity of testates was found in the soils of the tropical rainforest (126 species and intraspecific taxa, including spp.) and in tropical wetlands (144 species and intraspecific taxa, including spp.). The study documented testate amoebae with a limited geographical distribution (genera Centropyxis, Cornuapyxis, Ellipsopyxis, Hoogenraadia, Planhoogenraadia, Apolimia, Certesella, Apodera, and Alocodera). We found that testate amoebae in the soils of Mexico had a high level of polymorphism and individual variability. We discuss the value of soil testate amoebae for defining biogeographical regions of Mexico.     

Palaeoecology of testate amoebae in a tropical peatland

We present the first detailed analysis of subfossil testate amoebae from a tropical peatland. Testate amoebae were analysed in a 4-m peat core from western Amazonia (Peru) and a transfer function developed from the site was applied to reconstruct changes in water table over the past ca. 8,000 years. Testate amoebae were in very low abundance in the core, especially in the lower 125 cm, due to a combination of poor preservation and obscuration by other organic matter. A modified preparation method enabled at least 50 testate amoebae to be counted in each core sample. The most abundant taxa preserved include Centropyxis aculeata, Hyalosphenia subflava, Phryganella acropodia and Trigonopyxis arcula. Centropyxis aculeata, an unambiguous wet indicator, is variably present and indicates several phases of near-surface water table. Our work shows that even degraded, low-abundance assemblages of testate amoebae can provide useful information regarding the long-term ecohydrological developmental history of tropical peatlands.     

Ecology of testate amoebae from mires in the Central Rhodope Mountains, Greece and development of a transfer function for palaeohydrological reconstruction

Testate amoebae are useful environmental indicators in ecological and palaeoecological studies from peatlands. Previous quantitative studies have focused on the peatlands of Northern and Central Europe, North America, and New Zealand and have considered a relatively restricted variety of peatland types, mostly ombrotrophic or Sphagnum-dominated while more minerotrophic fens have been less studied. Here we present the first quantitative ecological study of testate amoebae from four small mesotrophic fens (pH 5.5-8.1) in the Elatia Forest, northern Macedonia province, Greece. Relationships with the environmental data were investigated using redundancy analysis and mantel tests. Transfer function models were derived using a variety of techniques. Results demonstrate that as for Sphagnum-dominated mires hydrology is the most important control on amoebae community composition. Transfer function models should enable water tables to be predicted within 2.5 cm, when data selection is used this is reduced to less than 2 cm. pH is also an important environmental control on testate amoebae communities, a transfer function model enables pH prediction within 0.4 pH units. The hydrological transfer function is the best performing such model yet produced in terms of prediction error. This study provides new data on the ecology of testate amoebae in fens, and the transfer function models should allow quantitative palaeohydrological reconstruction.     

Seasonal dynamics in the community structure and trophic structure of testate amoebae inhabiting the Sanjiang peatlands,Northeast China

Peatlands cover 3% of the earth’s land surface but contain 30% of the world’s soil carbon pool. Microbial communities constitute a crucial detrital food web for nutrient and carbon cycling in peatlands. Heterotrophic protozoans are considered top predators in the microbial food web; however, they are not yet well understood. In this study, we investigated seasonal dynamics in the community and the trophic structure of testate amoebae in four peatlands. Testate amoebae density and biomass in August were significantly higher than those in May and October. The highest density, 6.7 × 10⁴ individual g⁻¹ dry moss, was recorded in August 2014. The highest biomass, 7.7 × 10² μg C g⁻¹ dry moss, was recorded in August 2013. Redundancy analyses showed that water-table depth was the most important factor, explaining over one third of the variance in fauna communities in all sampled seasons. High trophic position taxa dominated testate amoebae communities. The Shannon diversity index and community size structure index declined from August to October in 2013 and from May to October in 2014. These seasonal patterns of testate amoebae indicated the seasonal variations of the peatlands’ microbial food web and are possibly related to the seasonal carbon dynamics in Northeast Chinese peatlands.     

Diet of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from Northeast Greenland

The diet of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from coastal and offshore areas of Northeast Greenland was determined by identifying, to the lowest taxonomic limit possible, all hard-part contents from the gastrointestinal tract of 51 seals sampled (2002–2004) in spring (April to June, N = 35) and autumn (September to October, N = 16). The autumn diet was characterized by high numbers of Parathemisto libellula, and the spring diet was comprised primarily of polar cod (Boreogadus saida), with few invertebrates consumed. The coastal seal diet samples had a diverse fish prey composition (during both the spring and autumn), whereas the open water seals had eaten mostly crustaceans with P. libellula being most abundant. The sample sizes from the various locations and seasons were not large enough to explore age-class effects on diet in addition. Similar to earlier studies, this study suggests that the ringed seal is a generalist that exploits prey based on availability, with a few key species dominating the diet in an area at least on a seasonal basis.     

Ecology of testate amoebae (Protozoa: Rhizopoda) on peatlands in western Russia with special attention to niche separation in closely related taxa.

Testate amoebae (Protozoa: Rhizopoda) are frequently used as indicators of past environmental changes, and the interpretation of fossil assemblages depends upon our knowledge of ecological affinities of taxa in modern environments. A variety of taxonomic approaches have been used in fossil studies, mostly involving grouping of closely related taxa. This paper presents data from peatlands in western Russia relating surface wetness parameters to species occurrence. Relationships between species abundance, water table depth and soil moisture are modelled using weighted averaging, and species niches are calculated as optima and tolerance for these parameters. Niche separation of closely related taxa is examined in detail and it is shown that there is often a gradient of hydrological preference within each group of taxa. Wet to dry gradients include those found in the Trigonopyxis arcula group (T. arcula var. major > T. arcula > T. minuta), the Assulina-Valkanovia group (A. seminulum > A. muscorum > V. elegans), and the Trinema lineare group (T. lineare var. truncatum/ T. lineare > T. lineare var. terricola), all of which are associated with a large to small size gradient. In addition, spined forms within the Euglypha and Placocista genera are shown to consistently occur in wetter habitats than glabrous forms or those with shorter spines. It is concluded that palaeoecological studies should attempt the lowest taxonomic divisions possible within these groups, to maximise the ecological indicator value of the assemblages recorded.     

Evaluating the use of dominant microbial consumers (testate amoebae) as indicators of blanket peatland restoration

Peatlands represent globally-important ecosystems and carbon stores. However, large areas of peatland have been drained for agriculture, or peat has been harvested for use as fuel or in horticulture. Increasingly, these landscapes are being restored through ditch blocking and rewetting primarily to improve biodiversity and promote peat accumulation. To date we have little knowledge of how these interventions influence the microbial communities in peatlands. We compared the responses of dominant microbial consumers (testate amoebae) to drainage ditch restoration relative to unblocked ditches in a UK upland blanket peatland (Migneint, North Wales). Two techniques were used for restoration: (i) dammed ditches with re-profiling; and (ii) dammed ditches with pools of open water behind each dam. Testate communities in the inter-ditch areas changed markedly over time and between treatments illustrating the potential of this group of organisms as indicators of blanket peatland restoration status. However, the responses of testate amoebae to peat rewetting associated with restoration were partially obscured by inter-annual variability in weather conditions through the course of the experiment. Although there was considerable variability in the response of testate amoebae communities to peatland drain blocking, there were clearly more pronounced changes in samples from the dammed and reprofiled treatments including an increase in diversity, and the appearance of unambiguous wet-indicator species in relatively high abundances (including Amphitrema stenostoma, Archerella flavum, Arcella discoides type, Difflugia bacillifera and Difflugia bacillarium). This reflects a shift towards overall wetter conditions across the site and the creation of new habitats. However, water-table was not a significant control on testate amoebae in this case, suggesting a poor relationship between water table and surface moisture in this sloping blanket peatland. Our findings highlight the potential of testate amoebae as bioindicators of peatland restoration success; however, there is a need for caution as mechanisms driving change in the microbial communities may be more complex than first assumed. Several factors need to be taken into account when implementing biomonitoring studies in peatlands including: (i) the natural variability of the peatland ecosystem under changing weather conditions; (ii) any disturbance connected with the restoration procedures; and (iii) the timescales over which the ecosystem responds to the management intervention. Our results also suggest an indicator species approach based on population dynamics may be more appropriate for biomonitoring peatland restoration than examining changes at the community level.     

Restoration of lost aquatic plant communities: New habitats forChara

In the Netherlands peat was excavated for fuel until 1950. This gave rise to waterbodies (called turf ponds) which were then colonized by aquatic plants. Succession resulted in different aquatic plant communities and more terrestrialized stages such as floating fens. Nature conservation authorities started to excavate new turf ponds in 1990(ca. 2 ha y^–1) with the aim to restore calcareous, mesotraphent ecosystems by totally setting back succession. A sequence of new species was revealed by mapping the aquatic vegetation from 1990 onwards.Chara spp. proved early colonizers, which was not expected because they have not been present in ditches and ponds in the area for the last 20 years. The denseChara vegetation prevents the resuspension of organic soil and contributes to keep the water column nutrient-poor and clear. ability of species such asStratiotes aloides to colonise the ponds from adjacent waterbodies is not possible because no open contact exists between a turf pond and a ditch. Management measures, such as re-introduction, have to be considered if the full-range of aquatic plant communities remains the goal.     

Freshwater testate amoebae from waterbodies of North Vietnam with the finding of indicator species

Limnology - Testate amoebae are an irreplaceable key component of microbial communities in many aquatic and soil ecosystems and well known as useful bioindicators. In the present work, testate...     

Recent sightings of the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in Northeast Greenland and the Greenland Sea

By the end of the 19th century, European whalers had brought the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in the “Spitsbergen stock” ranging the waters between eastern Greenland and the western Russian Arctic to the verge of extinction. This paper presents observations of this species in Northeast Greenland and in the Greenland Sea between 1940 and 2004. The number of observations has increased in Northeast Greenland since the mid-1980s. Only three observations are known for the period 1940–1979 but during the 1980s, the 1990s and between 2000 and 2004, six, six and eight observations of bowhead whales were made, involving an absolute minimum of three, five and eight to ten different individuals, respectively. It remains uncertain whether this represents an increase in survey effort, an immigration from other areas, a recent recovery of an eastern Greenland relict “tribe” belonging to the Spitsbergen stock, or a combination of these factors.     

贵州寒武系第二统杷榔组有壳变形虫的新发现*

有壳变形虫(testate amoebae)的演化历史最早可追溯至新元古代早期, 以该时期北美、华北、挪威以及澳洲等多个地区浅海相碳酸盐岩、页岩中发现的瓶状微体化石(vase-shaped microfossils)为标志。此前认为, 显生宙的有壳变形虫最早出现在早泥盆世。长期以来, 早古生代的地层中未发现这类原生生物的明确化石证据。本研究通过对岩石样品进行常规孢粉酸泡分析处理和切磨岩石薄片, 获取原位保存的化石标本的技术方法, 从贵州东部剑河县交榜剖面出露的寒武系杷榔组(第2统第4阶)中获得数枚有壳变形虫(testate amoebae)化石标本。基于标本的显微形态特征, 并结合激光拉曼光谱等研究, 对原先记述为疑源类的Plagasphaera balangensis和P. sp. A两形态种进行重新认识和描述。由于它们在结构和形态上与一些现生的鳞壳虫目(Euglyphida)有壳变形虫极为相似, 因此将先前定为疑源类的Plagasphaera balangensis和P. sp. A两形态属、种名, 分别修订为Palaeoassulina balangensis gen. et sp. nov.和?Palaeoassulina sp. A。该发现不仅将显生宙有壳变形虫的原有化石记录从晚古生代泥盆纪向前延伸至寒武纪早期, 还为调查研究有壳变形虫的系统演化提供关键的生物化石证据。