Testate Amoeba Functional Traits and Their Use in Paleoecology

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...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Marcisz, K., Jassey, Vincent, Kosakyan, A., Krashevska, Valentyna, Lahr, D.J.G., Lara, Enrique, Lamentowicz, Mariusz, Macumber, A., Mazei, Y., Mitchell, Edward A.D., Nasser, N.A., Patterson, R.T., Roe, H.M., Singer, David, Tsyganov, A.N., Fournier, Bertrand
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/230709
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/230709
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:ddc:550
Descripción
Sumario: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 amoeba (morpho-)species data. We provide a broad overview of testate amoeba 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 amoeba research.