title: Palaeoecology of testate amoebae in a tropical peatland.
abstract: 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 125cm, 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.
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. Electronic address: g.t.swindles@leeds.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Graeme T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Swindles
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Monitoring, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, Dzięgielowa 27, 61-680 Poznań, Poland; Department of Biogeography and Palaeoecology, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, Dzięgielowa 27, 61-680 Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lamentowicz
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Monitoring, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, Dzięgielowa 27, 61-680 Poznań, Poland; Department of Biogeography and Palaeoecology, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, Dzięgielowa 27, 61-680 Poznań, Poland; Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reczuga
authors.affiliation: Natural Resources Canada/Ressources naturelles Canada, Geological Survey of Canada/Commission géologique du Canada, Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A7, Canada.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Galloway
mesh_terms: D000656:Amoeba / Q000502:physiology*; D044822:Biodiversity; D004463:Ecology; D005580:Fossils; D060587:Groundwater; D062070:Hydrology; D010568:Peru; D011156:Population Density; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology*; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: Amazonia; Palaeoecology; Peatlands; Testate amoebae; Tropical rainforest