Do the relationships between testate amoebae and fungi reflect the variability of past water table fluctuations in the ombrotrophic peatlands of Central Europe?

The Holocene ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1186-1195
Author(s):  
Piotr Kołaczek ◽  
Monika Karpińska-Kołaczek ◽  
Mariusz Gałka ◽  
Grażyna Miotk-Szpiganowicz ◽  
Milena Obremska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Calluna Vulgaris ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Testate Amoeba ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Sphagnum Peat ◽  
Climate Events

In this article, we examined the indicative value of a relationship between two non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), fungal HdV-10, related to the presence of Calluna vulgaris, and HdV-31A, which is testate amoeba – Archerella flavum. Both are frequently present on slides designated for pollen analysis, prepared from Sphagnum peat. We analysed three profiles from three extensive ombrotrophic peatlands in northern Poland, in which the content of testate amoebae (TA) was examined and TA-inferred depth to the water table (DWT) was reconstructed. The new analysis of palynological samples regarding NPPs revealed that strong increases in HdV-10 content were mostly simultaneous to HdV-31A declines. However, the relations between both types were not statistically significant. The rapid increases in HdV-10, despite the fact that this type of conidiospores is related to drier habitats on peatlands, were tentatively interpreted as an indicator of rapid rises in the water table level which, in consequence, might have stimulated the production of these spores by fungi. In addition, a negative correlation between HdV-31A and Arcella discoides and positive one, but weaker, in case of HdV-10 (attributed by some authors to species Trichocladium opacum (Corda) S Hughes) and A. discoides show a link between mutual fluctuations of both NPPs and hydrological instabilities on peatland. The Bagno Kusowo bog, the westernmost peatland subjected to the study, displayed an intriguing agreement between the presence of peat sections with strong increases in HdV-10 and cold climate events affecting Europe. Our study reveals that counting even a limited number of NPP types during the standard pollen analysis of Sphagnum peat may support the interpretation of results, especially, in cases when the investigation lacks testate amoeba analysis. When the reconstruction of TA-inferred DWT is provided, it may introduce additional information about the patterns of hydrological dynamics.

Disentangling human-fire-climate linkages at mid-elevations in the Šumava Mountains of central Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vachel Kraklow ◽  
Alice Moravcová ◽  
Petr Kuneš ◽  
Dagmar Dreslerová ◽  
Walter Finsinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Indicator Species ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Coprophilous Fungi ◽  
Human Land Use

<p>To distinguish human-caused from naturally-caused fire regimes, palaeoecological records must demonstrate that observed changes in vegetation and fire are in response to changes in human activity rather than driven by natural climate-fire relationships. Here, we use a high-resolution multi-proxy approach (testate amoebae derived depth to water table (DWT), macro- and micro-charcoal, charcoal morphologies, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, and XRF) from Pékna, a mid-elevation peat bog situated near Lipno Reservoir - an area rich in human land use - to investigate human-driven vs. naturally-driven fire regimes in the Šumava Mountains. Our results span the entire Holocene and illustrate that humans have been consistently modifying the landscape since 5,500 cal yr BP. Specifically, during the mid-Holocene (7,000 – 4,000 cal yr BP) when water table was at its highest at Pékna, relatively frequent, low-severity fires occurred and was accompanied by the prolonged presence of coprophilous fungi, secondary human indicators and an opening of the forest, suggesting human activities. Human land use intensified ~1,500 cal yr BP as indicated by increases in primary human indicator species, an increase in early successional tree species (Pinus and Betula) indicating an opening of the forest canopy, and the development of regional mining is suggested by a marked increase in the concentration of lead (Pb). While water table depths decreased indicating drier conditions ~1,500 cal yr BP, local fires persisted, burning at low severities as indicated by the continued presence of charred herb macrofossils. The most intensive land use occurred in the last 500 years with the highest abundance of primary and secondary human indicator species, and coprophilious fungi. Locally, marked increases in the concentration of both redox-sensitive elements such as iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), sulphur (S), and chlorine (Cl), and detrital elements such as potassium (K), aluminum (Al) and Titanium (Ti) indicate major changes in the depositional environment over the last 500 years, possibly due to peat draining. However, this time period witnessed decreased biomass burning as a result of a more open landscape and less fuels to burn. These results contribute to a growing body of literature illustrating the importance of prehistoric impact in the mid-mountains of Central Europe.   </p>

scholarly journals Comparing and improving methods for reconstructing peatland water-table depth from testate amoebae

The Holocene ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1350-1361
Author(s):  
Connor Nolan ◽  
John Tipton ◽  
Robert K Booth ◽  
Mevin B Hooten ◽  
Stephen T Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Compositional Data ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Water Table Depth ◽  
Weighted Averaging ◽  
Training Dataset ◽  
Testate Amoeba ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Validation Experiment

Proxies that use changes in the composition of ecological communities to reconstruct temporal changes in an environmental covariate are commonly used in paleoclimatology and paleolimnology. Existing methods, such as weighted averaging and modern analog technique, relate compositional data to the covariate in very simple ways, and different methods are seldom compared systematically. We present a new Bayesian model that better represents the underlying data and the complexity in the relationships between species’ abundances and a paleoenvironmental covariate. Using testate amoeba–based reconstructions of water-table depth as a test case, we systematically compare new and existing models in a cross-validation experiment on a large training dataset from North America. We then apply the different models to a new 7500-year record of testate amoeba assemblages from Caribou Bog in Maine and compare the resulting water-table depth reconstructions. We find that Bayesian models represent an improvement over existing methods in three key ways: more complete use of the underlying compositional data, full and meaningful treatment of uncertainty, and clear paths toward methodological improvements. Furthermore, we highlight how developing and systematically comparing methods lead to an improved understanding of the proxy system. This paper focuses on testate amoebae and water-table depth, but the framework and ideas are widely applicable to other proxies based on compositional data.

Past testate amoeba communities in landslide mountain fens (Polish Carpathians): The relationship between shell types and sediment

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362199464
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Marcisz ◽  
Krzysztof Buczek ◽  
Mariusz Gałka ◽  
Włodzimierz Margielewski ◽  
Matthieu Mulot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Mineral Matter ◽  
Testate Amoeba ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Depth To Water Table ◽  
Polish Carpathians ◽  
The Relationship

Landslide mountain fens formed in landslide depressions are dynamic environments as their development is disturbed by a number of factors, for example, landslides, slopewash, and surface run-off. These processes lead to the accumulation of mineral material and wood in peat. Disturbed peatlands are interesting archives of past environmental changes, but they may be challenging for providing biotic proxy-based quantitative reconstructions. Here we investigate long-term changes in testate amoeba communities from two landslide mountain fens – so far an overlooked habitat for testate amoeba investigations. Our results show that abundances of testate amoebae are extremely low in this type of peatlands, therefore not suitable for providing quantitative depth-to-water table reconstructions. However, frequent shifts of dominant testate amoeba species reflect dynamic lithological situation of the studied fens. We observed that high and stable mineral matter input into the peatlands was associated with high abundances of species producing agglutinated (xenosomic) as well as idiosomic shells which prevailed in the testate amoeba communities in both analyzed profiles. This is the first study that explores testate amoebae of landslide mountain fens in such detail, providing novel information about microbial communities of these ecosystems.

scholarly journals Ecology of peatland testate amoebae in Svalbard and the development of transfer functions for reconstructing past water-table depth and pH

2021 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 108122
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Sim ◽  
Graeme T. Swindles ◽  
Paul J. Morris ◽  
Andy J. Baird ◽  
Dan J. Charman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Water Table Depth

scholarly journals The stratigraphic position of a Pliocene tidal clay deposit at Grobbendonk (Antwerp Province, Belgium)

2001 ◽  
Vol 3 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 405-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noël VANDENBERGHE ◽  
Jacques HERMAN ◽  
Pieter LAGA ◽  
Stephen LOUWYE ◽  
Stijn DE SCHEPPER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Formation Time ◽  
Clay Deposit ◽  
Stratigraphic Analysis ◽  
Stratigraphic Position

In a section located in Grobbendonk (Antwerp Campine area, Belgium) a tidal clay deposit is described which according to regional analysis could correlate with the Kruisschans Member of the Pliocene Lillo Formation. Mollusc and fish fossils point to a colder climate during the deposition of the Kruisschans Sand. A pollen analysis of the Grobbendonk clay shows that it was formed during a cold climate, either during the Pretiglian or during the Pliocene. The latter possibility is preferred because of the regional stratigraphic analysis and the absence of marine Pretiglian in the area. A dinoflagellate study of the Grobbendonk clay compares the stratigraphic position of the clay to the Waltonian, Pre-Ludhamian, Ludhamian regional stages of the U.K. Because of the cold climate during the deposition a Pre-Ludhamian formation time is preferred. This Pre-Ludhamian in the U.K. is correlated with the Reuver C or with the Praetiglian regional stages in the Netherlands.

Modern atmospheric monitoring using pollen analysis of ice cores: a case study from the Elbrus Western Plateau, Caucasus, Russia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vlada Batalova ◽  
Vladimir Mikhalenko ◽  
Stanislav Kutuzov ◽  
Lyudmila Shumilovskikh ◽  
Karim Shukurov
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Forest Belt ◽  
Russian Science ◽  
Flexible Tool ◽  
Atmospheric Monitoring

<p>The report highlights the results of first ice-core palynology studies from the Elbrus Western Plateau. The title of the highest point in Europe and the geographical location of Elbrus determine the diversity of natural conditions and, as a result, palynological spectra, which act as markers of seasonal vegetation, climate dynamics, fires and anthropogenic activities in the Mediterranean, southern European Russia, the Middle East, and North Africa.</p><p>The 24-m ice core from the Elbrus Western Plateau collected in 2017 (5115 m a.s.l., 43<sup>о</sup>20′53,9′′ N, 42<sup>о</sup>25′36′′ E) covers the period 2012-2017. Pollen analysis revealed a significant number of biological markers contained in the ice core, including pollen and spores, fungi, algae, testate amoebae, feather barbules, microcharcoal, and black carbon.</p><p>The obtained results show that taxonomic diversity and concentration of biomarkers in the ice core were determined by the seasons of the year and their inherent convective flows. Pollen assemblages are characterized by predominance of native Caucasian plant species. Among them pollen values of Picea forming the high-altitude forest belt in the Western Caucasus significantly exceed pollen frequency of Pinus growing near the upper timber line on Elbrus Mt in the Central Caucasus that suggests a westerlies of air masses and transfer of microparticles. A high abundance of non-pollen palynomorphs in pollen assemblages demonstrates a high potential for studying of human impact on mountain ecosystems. The first pollen data from the ice core evidences a promising resource of the high-altitude temperate glaciers as a flexible tool for atmospheric monitoring of microparticle transfer and fixing its seasonality and biotic relationships.</p><p>This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project № 17-17-01270.</p>

Pollen Analysis and Its Bearing upon American Prehistory: A Critique

1939 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loren C. Eiseley
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Effective Medium ◽  
Wide Area ◽  
Marsh Vegetation

Extending over a wide area in northern and central Europe great beds of peat cover stretches of moor and occupy valleys and depressions where sluggish drainage has favored the growth of marsh vegetation. More than any other soil type they are entirely dependent in substance on the vegetation which they support. Thus they are peculiarly reflective of changes of a climatic nature, and this, combined with the preservative effects of bog acid, both upon pollens and artifacts, has made them a peculiarly effective medium for investigation. While most thoroughly studied in Europe, peats occur in both the northern and southern hemisphere wherever conditions permit. Typically and most extensively however, they are a circumpolar phenomenon closely attendant upon glaciation.

Testate amoebae as non-pollen palynomorphs in pollen slides: Usefulness and application in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction

2020 ◽  
pp. SP511-2020-34
Author(s):  
L. O. Andrews ◽  
R. J. Payne ◽  
G. T. Swindles
Keyword(s):  
Water Table ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Water Table Depth ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Preparation Methods ◽  
Chemical Treatments ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Qualitative Changes

AbstractTestate amoebae are a frequently used palaeoecological proxy for reconstructing changes in palaeohydrological conditions, particularly in studies of Sphagnum-dominated peatlands. Their use in palaeoecological studies has increased following the development of transfer functions, allowing for the quantitative reconstruction of water-table depth changes through time. Increasingly, they are included in non-pollen palynomorph (NPP) studies alongside a wide range of other proxies, representing a valuable tool, particularly in multi-proxy studies.Testate amoebae have been used for qualitative assessment of palaeohydrology in NPP studies and may aid the verification of environmental interpretations of conditions inferred from curves of NPP with unknown ecology and taxonomy. Their usefulness in such studies is limited by the destruction of tests owing to harsh chemical treatments used in pollen preparation methods. This makes community distribution data of testate amoebae derived by these methods largely unsuitable for quantitative assessment of water-table depth. Furthermore, many palynological studies combine testate amoebae as one single curve, losing further ecological detail. Patterns of change of surviving species, most commonly of Assulina, Archerella, Arcella, Hyalosphenia and Archerella flavum, remain relatively unaffected and therefore can still be useful for interpreting qualitative changes in hydrological conditions through time, particularly when coupled with other proxies.

Resilience of plant and testate amoeba communities after climatic and anthropogenic disturbances in a Baltic bog in Northern Poland: Implications for ecological restoration

The Holocene ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariusz Gałka ◽  
Kazimierz Tobolski ◽  
Aleksandra Górska ◽  
Mariusz Lamentowicz
Keyword(s):  
Human Impacts ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Testate Amoeba ◽  
Raised Bogs ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ombrotrophic Peatland ◽  
History Of ◽  
Climate Cooling

This study explores the history of the development of Sphagnum communities in an ombrotrophic peatland – Bagno Kusowo – over the past 650 years, based on high-resolution plant macrofossil and testate amoebae analysis. Our research provided information related to the length of peatland existence and the characteristics of its natural/pristine state before the most recent human impacts. Changes in the Sphagnum communities before human impact could have resulted from climate cooling during the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA). In this cold and unstable hydrological period, among vascular plants, Eriophorum vaginatum and Baeothryon caespitosum dominated in the peatland vegetation. Peat-forming Sphagnum communities survived the drainage conducted during the 20th century at the Bagno Kusowo bog. We provide three important messages through this study: (1) testate amoebae reflect similar hydrological trends in two peat cores despite considerable microhabitat variability, (2) average long-term water level 10 cm below the surface should be a target for active bog conservation and (3) sites like Bagno Kusowo are extremely important to preserve the remains of pristine biodiversity (including genetic diversity of plants and protists) that was completely removed from most of the raised bogs in Europe due to human activities, for example, drainage.

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