Studies on testate amoeba species distribution at small scales (i.e., single peatland sites) are rare and mostly focus on bogs or mineral-poor Sphagnum fens, leaving spatial patterns within mineral-rich fens completely unexplored. In this study, two mineral-rich fen sites of contrasting groundwater chemistry and moss layer composition were selected for the analysis of testate amoeba compositional variance within a single site. At each study site, samples from 20 randomly chosen moss-dominated plots were collected with several environmental variables being measured at each sampling spot. We also distinguished between empty shells and living individuals to evaluate the effect of empty shell inclusion on recorded species distribution. At the heterogeneous-rich Sphagnum-fen, a clear composition turnover in testate amoebae between Sphagnum-dominated and brown moss-dominated samples was closely related to water pH, temperature and redox potential. We also found notable species composition variance within the homogeneous calcareous fen, yet it was not as high as for the former site and the likely drivers of community assembly remained unidentified. The exclusion of empty shells provided more accurate data on species distribution as well as their relationship with some environmental variables, particularly moisture. Small-scale variability in species composition of communities seems to be a worthwhile aspect in testate amoeba research and should be considered in future sampling strategies along with a possible empty shell bias for more precise understanding of testate amoeba ecology and paleoecology.
- Klíčová slova
- Empty shells, Fens, Peatlands, Small-scale variability, Testate amoebae,
- MeSH
- Bryophyta růst a vývoj MeSH
- Lobosea klasifikace fyziologie MeSH
- mikrobiota * MeSH
- mokřady MeSH
- půda chemie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Názvy látek
- půda MeSH
Road traffic emits a cocktail of pollutants that can influence the vegetation and plant diversity in neighboring areas. However, the recovery potential of bryophytes after traffic abandonment is still little explored. In addition, the effects of the main pollutants of road verges, such as metals and salinity, on moss flora need to be investigated. In our study, we compared the moss richness and diversity in two closely related veteran tree allees of high conservation importance. The allees in Gryżów and Lubrza, Poland, were chosen because of their similarity in age, geographical location, type of surrounding areas, and tree species. The only difference was that the trees in Gryżów had not been exposed to direct road pollution for almost 30 years. The moss richness and diversity differed significantly between the sites. Altogether, 20 moss species were recorded on 229 trees, 17 species in Gryżów (abandoned road), and 13 in Lubrza (busy road). We found considerable differences between moss cover on the road-facing and opposite sides of tree trunks. In Lubrza, mosses on the road-facing side were very scarce. The moss cover in Gryżów was highly balanced between trunk sides as well as among trunk heights. Typical epiphytic species such as Bryum moravicum, Dicranoweisia cirrata, Leskea polycarpa, and Orthodicranum tauricum preferred the Gryżów tree stands, where they were present in numbers almost twice as high as that at Lubrza. The study shows that constructing a bypass road could be an effective conservation measure for veteran tree protection with their epiphytic moss flora.
- MeSH
- Bryophyta klasifikace účinky léků růst a vývoj MeSH
- látky znečišťující vzduch analýza toxicita MeSH
- mechy MeSH
- monitorování životního prostředí * MeSH
- výfukové emise vozidel analýza toxicita MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Polsko MeSH
- Názvy látek
- látky znečišťující vzduch MeSH
- výfukové emise vozidel MeSH
