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McKeown MM, Burge OR, Richardson SJ, Wood JR, Mitchell EAD, Wilmshurst JM. Biomonitoring tool for New Zealand peatlands: Testate amoebae and vascular plants as promising bioindicators. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 354:120243. [PMID: 38422571 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
In the last two centuries, a high proportion of peatlands have been lost or severely degraded across the world. The value of peatlands is now well-recognised for biodiversity conservation, flood management, and carbon mitigation, with peatland restoration now central to many government policies for climate action. A challenge, however, is to determine 'natural' and 'disturbed' conditions of peatlands to establish realistic baselines for assessing degradation and setting restoration targets. This requires a tool or set of tools that can rapidly and reliably capture peatland condition across space and time. Our aim was to develop such a tool based on combined analysis of plant and testate amoebae; a group of shelled protists commonly used as indicators of ecological change in peatlands. The value of testate amoebae is well established in Northern Hemisphere Sphagnum-dominated peatlands; however, relatively little work has been undertaken for Southern Hemisphere peat forming systems. Here we provide the first assessment and comparison of the bioindicator value of testate amoebae and vascular plants in the context of Southern Hemisphere peatlands. Our results further demonstrate the unique ecohydrological dynamics at play in New Zealand peat forming systems that set them apart from Northern Hemisphere peatlands. Our results show that plant and testate amoeba communities provided valuable information on peatland condition at different scales, we found that testate amoebae tracked changes in the abiotic variables (depth to water table, pH, and conductivity) more closely than vascular plants. Our results further demonstrate that functional traits of testate amoebae showed promising relationships with disturbance. Amoeba test compression, aperture position and test size were linked to changes in hydrology driven by fluctuations in ground water tables; however, trait responses manifested differently in ombrotrophic and minerotrophic peatlands. Overall, testate amoebae provide a promising bioindicator for tracking degradation in New Zealand peatlands and a potential additional tool to assess peatland condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M McKeown
- Department of Geography, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland; Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland.
| | - Olivia R Burge
- Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, 54 Gerald Street, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand
| | - Sarah J Richardson
- Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, 54 Gerald Street, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand
| | - Jamie R Wood
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Unit, University of Adelaide, Darling, South Australia, Australia
| | - Edward A D Mitchell
- Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Janet M Wilmshurst
- Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, 54 Gerald Street, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand
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Bobrov A, Duckert C, Mitchell EAD. Certesella larai (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida: Hyalospheniformes) a new soil testate amoeba species from the Dominican Republic and Chile challenges the definition of genera Certesella and Porosia. ACTA PROTOZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.4467/16890027ap.21.007.15381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Microbial diversity is known to be huge but remains only partly documented. Testate amoebae are a relatively well studied group or free-living protists that build morphologically characteristic shells on which the taxonomy of this group is mainly based. Among testate amoebae, the Hyalospheniformes are especially well documented and are a model group for microbial biogeography. Here we describe a new species of genus Certesella from Sphagnum mosses and forest litter samples collected in the Dominican Republic and Chile. We name this species Certesella larai to honour our esteemed colleague Enrique Lara. This species bears two large pores connected by tube, which are characteristic of the genera Porosia and Certesella. The new species fits best in the latter genus given the presence of a distinct, sometimes denticulated, neck with a bulge that is absent in genus Porosia but occurs in Certesella. Its elongated shape (length/breadth ratio 2.03–2.58) only overlaps with C. certesi, which is distinguishable by the presence of a distinct longitudinal groove in the neck region that is absent from the new species. Interestingly most specimens lacked the internal teeth which are usually present in members of genus Certesella. As such, while the morphology of C. larai strongly suggests a belonging to genus Certesella, molecular analyses are still required to confirm its phylogenetic position, clarify the relationships among all species in genera Porosia and Certesella and the definition and validity of these two genera. The presence of this new species in two rather distant regions – Caribbean and central Chile – suggests it is likely widespread, but possibly rare. However, this perception may be due to a sampling bias in favour of Sphagnum mosses and wet and organic-rich habitats. This illustrates the need for a more systematic sampling effort to document the full and mostly unknown taxonomic diversity of soil protists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anatoly Bobrov
- Department of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskiye gory, Moscow, Russia
| | - Clément Duckert
- Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Edward A. D. Mitchell
- Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Wanner M, Sogame Y, Shimizu M. An elevation transect study of testate amoeba communities up to 4000 m a.s.l. on mount kinabalu, borneo. Eur J Protistol 2022; 83:125868. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2022.125868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Duckert C, Blandenier Q, McKeown M, Hohaia H, Luketa S, Wilmshurst J, Lara E, Mitchell EAD. Superficially described and ignored for 92 years, rediscovered and emended: Apodera angatakere (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida: Hyalospheniformes) is a new flagship testate amoeba taxon from Aotearoa (New Zealand). J Eukaryot Microbiol 2021; 68:e12867. [PMID: 34351666 PMCID: PMC9292727 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryotic microbial diversity is known to be extensive but remains largely undescribed and uncharted. While much of this unknown diversity is composed of inconspicuous flagellates and parasites, larger and morphologically distinct protists are regularly discovered, most notably from poorly studied regions. Here we report a new flagship species of hyalospheniid (Amoebozoa; Arcellinida; Hyalospheniformes) testate amoeba from New Zealand and an unusual story of overlooked description under a preoccupied name and subsequent oversight for nearly one century. Through a process involving The Māori Language Commission, we named the species Apodera angatakere, meaning "a shell with a keel." This species resembles Apodera vas but differs by the presence of a distinctive hollow keel. Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit 1 (COI) sequence data show that this species forms a distinct clade nested within genus Apodera. This conspicuous species is so far known only from New Zealand and is restricted to peatlands. It is one of the few examples of endemic microorganisms from this biodiversity hotspot and biogeographer's paradise. As over 90% of New Zealand's peatlands have been lost since European colonization and much of the remaining surfaces are threatened, Apodera angatakere could be a flagship species not only for microbial biogeography but also for island biodiversity conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Duckert
- Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Quentin Blandenier
- Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Michelle McKeown
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand.,Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Holden Hohaia
- Manaaki Whenua/Landcare Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Stefan Luketa
- Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.,Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Janet Wilmshurst
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand.,School of Environment, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Edward A D Mitchell
- Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.,Jardin Botanique de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Burdman L, Mataloni G, Mitchell EAD, Lara E. A reassessment of testate amoebae diversity in Tierra del Fuego peatlands: Implications for large scale inferences. Eur J Protistol 2021; 80:125806. [PMID: 34280730 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2021.125806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Testate amoebae are a diverse group of shelled protists frequently used as model organisms in microbial biogeography. Relatively few species have been reported for the Southern Hemisphere, however, it remains unclear whether this lower diversity is real or an artifact of under-sampling or misidentifications, which would reduce their potential to address macroecological questions. We evaluated testate amoebae diversity from the full range of habitats occurring within two Tierra del Fuego peatlands and compared it with the reported diversity for the area and from the Northern Hemisphere peatlands. We recorded 87 species, of which 69 are new for the region and 45 of them probably new to science and likely to have restricted geographical distributions. Combined with previous studies, the total diversity of testate amoebae only from Tierra del Fuego peatlands now reaches 119, as compared with 183 reported from all Northern Hemisphere peatlands. Our results demonstrate that the number of Gondwanian and Neotropical endemic testate amoeba may be substantially higher than currently known. Previous reports of Holarctic taxa in Tierra del Fuego may result from forcing the identification of morphotypes to the descriptions in the most common literature (force-fitting) South American species into species common in literature from other regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Burdman
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad, Limnología y Biología de la Conservación, Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental (IIIA CONICET-UNSAM), Campus Miguelete, Universidad Nacional de San Martín. 25 de Mayo y Francia, 1650 San Martin, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland; Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, Missouri Botanical Garden, St.Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Gabriela Mataloni
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad, Limnología y Biología de la Conservación, Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental (IIIA CONICET-UNSAM), Campus Miguelete, Universidad Nacional de San Martín. 25 de Mayo y Francia, 1650 San Martin, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Edward A D Mitchell
- Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland; Jardin Botanique de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Enrique Lara
- Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland; Department of Mycology, Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC. Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014 Madrid, Spain.
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