Biogeography and comparative ecology of testate amoebae inhabiting Sphagnum-dominated peatlands in the Great Lakes and Rocky Mountain regions of North America

Abstract

Testate amoebae (Protozoa: Rhizopoda) are common inhabitants of peatlands. Strong relationships between community composition and substrate moisture in Sphagnum-dominated peatlands have made them particularly useful as hydrological proxies in environmental and palaeoenvironmental research. However, stability of these relationships in geographical space is important for widespread applicability. In this study, we compared testate amoeba communities inhabiting Sphagnum-dominated peatlands of the Great Lakes and Rocky Mountain regions of North America. Our primary objectives were to describe patterns of community composition in the two regions, develop hypotheses to explain differences, and determine if taxa occupy similar ecological niches with respect to substrate moisture in both places. Our results indicated that testate amoeba communities are relatively different in the two regions, and these differences are probably caused by differences in climate and peatland trophic status, although other factors may also play a role. However, many taxa do occur in both regions and these taxa had comparable moisture preferences in each region, suggesting that the ecological niches of taxa with respect to substrate moisture are similar even within communities of relatively different composition. © 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.