Testate Amoeba Functional Traits and Their Use in Paleoecology

Katarzyna Marcisz,Enrique Lara,Helen M Roe,Mariusz Lamentowicz,Vincent E J Jassey,R Timothy Patterson,Bertrand Fournier,David Singer,Andrey N Tsyganov,Yuri Mazei,Valentyna Krashevska,Łukasz Lamentowicz,Edward A D Mitchell,Nawaf A Nasser,Daniel J G Lahr,Andrew Macumber,Anush Kosakyan

doi:10.3389/fevo.2020.575966

Abstract

This review provides a synthesis of current knowledge on the morphological and functional traits of testate amoebae, a polyphyletic group of protists commonly used as proxies of past hydrological changes in paleoecological investigations from peatland, lake sediment and soil archives. A trait-based approach to understanding testate amoebae ecology and paleoecology has gained in popularity in recent years, with research showing that morphological characteristics provide complementary information to the commonly used environmental inferences based on testate amoebae (morpho-)species data. We provide a broad overview of testate amoebae morphological and functional traits and trait-environment relationships in the context of ecology, evolution, genetics, biogeography, and paleoecology. As examples we report upon previous ecological and paleoecological studies that used trait-based approaches, and describe key testate amoebae traits that can be used to improve the interpretation of environmental studies. We also highlight knowledge gaps and speculate on potential future directions for the application of trait-based approaches in testate amoebae research.

Highlights

Paleoecological reconstructions based on subfossil species assemblage data are commonly used to reconstruct past environmental changes over long time-scales (Willis and MacDonald, 2011; Roberts, 2013)
Assuming that species ecological requirements are stable over time, the main premise in paleoecology is that changes in species assemblages over time reflect past environmental changes within a study site or region (Birks et al, 2016)
While this approach informs on changes in key abiotic drivers of ecosystem processes, it does not provide direct evidence for functional changes

Summary

Introduction

Paleoecological reconstructions based on subfossil species assemblage data are commonly used to reconstruct past environmental changes over long time-scales (from hundreds of years to millennia) (Willis and MacDonald, 2011; Roberts, 2013). Other research has further demonstrated that shifts in environmental conditions select for testate amoeba taxa with either a high or low trophic level based on their body size features (Lamentowicz et al, 2013a; Jassey et al, 2014; Fournier et al, 2016).

Results

Conclusion