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  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Ecology of testate amoebae (Protozoa : Rhizopoda) in Sphagnum peatlands in the Jura mountains, Switzerland and France
    (1999-5-2) ;
    Buttler, Alexandre
    ;
    Warner, Barry
    ;
    Testate amoebae (Protozoa) living in Sphagnum peatlands are important environmental and paleoecological indicators. The distribution of these animals is closely related to soil moisture variables. This study examines the ecology of sphagnicolous testate amoebae near the southern limit of bogs in Europe. A total of 64 samples were collected for analysis of testate amoebae from six peatlands in the Jura region of Switzerland and France. Eleven site-specific ecological variables, six of which were soil-moisture related variables, were measured at each site. The data were subjected to weighted averaging, jack-knifing, cluster analysis, canonical correspondence analysis, and the indicator value method to model relationships between testate amoebae distributions and environmental variables. Testate amoebae abundance showed a direct relationship with pear pH and depth to water table. Strong relationships were with sites that had a water table less than 41 cm deep. In drier sites with water table depth greater than 41 cm, other factors such as soil porosity and water holding capacity were more important compared to the wetter sites. Though there was a strong relationship between restate amoebae faunas and soil moisture content and porosity, these two variables could not be confidently predicted. Testate amoebae in peatlands in this region appear to be sensitive to peat pH and water tables. Further work is needed to explore relationships between restate amoebae, soil moisture, and porosity.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Can testate amoebae (Protozoa) and other micro-organisms help to overcome biogeographic bias in large scale global change research?
    (: Springer, 1999) ;
    Gilbert, Daniel
    ;
    Butler, Alexandre
    ;
    Grosvernier, Philippe
    ;
    Albinsson, Christer
    ;
    Rydin, Hakan
    ;
    Heijmans, Monique
    ;
    Hoosbeek, Marcel
    ;
    Greenup, Alisson
    ;
    Foot, Jonathan
    ;
    Saarinen, Timo
    ;
    Vasander, Harri
    ;
    ;
    Visconti, Guido
    ;
    Beniston, Martin
    ;
    Iannorelli, Emilio D
    ;
    Barba, Diego
    To monitor global change, large scale long term studies are needed. Such studies often focus on vegetation, but most plant species have limited distribution areas. Micro-organisms by contrast are mostly cosmopolitan in their distributions. To study the relationships between organisation groups, we analysed the testate amoebae (Protozoa), vegetation, and water chemistry of five Sphagnum peatlands across Europe. Inter-site differences were more pronounced for the vegetation than for testate amoebae species assemblage. Testate amoebae represent a useful tool in multi-site studies and environmental monitoring of peatlands because: 1) the number of species is much higher than for plants, 2) most species are cosmopolitan and are therefore less affected by biogeographical distribution patterns than plants; thus differences in restate amoebae assemblages can be interpreted primarily in terms of ecology, 3) restate amoebae can be used to analyse and monitor small scale (cm) gradients that play a major role in the functioning of peatland ecosystems. We further studied the effect of elevated CO2 on microbial communities in the same peatlands. Elevated COL increased the biomass of heterotrophic bacteria and decreased the biomass of medium size protozoa (mostly small restate amoebae). These effects suggest changes in community functioning that may have feedback effects on other components of the ecosystem.