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Quantifying the effect of testate amoeba decomposition on peat-based water-table reconstructions
Graeme T Swindles1, Thomas P Roland2, Matthew J Amesbury2
1Geography, School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfast, UK; Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre and Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
Weak idiosomic siliceous tests (WISTs) in peatlands rarely preserve deeper in profiles. Removing WISTs from testate amoebae data generally ensures accurate palaeohydrological reconstructions, with minor adjustments needed for specific taxa.
Area of Science:
- Paleoecology
- Quaternary Science
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Testate amoebae are crucial for reconstructing past water tables in peatlands.
- Weak idiosomic siliceous tests (WISTs) are poorly preserved in deeper peat layers due to taphonomic processes.
- The impact of WIST decomposition on water-table reconstructions is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of WIST decomposition on palaeohydrological reconstructions.
- To compare water-table reconstructions with and without WISTs from European peatlands.
- To determine if WISTs introduce bias into peatland water-table reconstructions.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed testate amoebae from 30 European peatland sites.
- Compared water-table reconstructions using all testate amoebae versus excluding WISTs.
- Assessed the influence of specific taxa, like Corythion-Trinema, on reconstruction accuracy.
Main Results:
- WIST decomposition generally does not cause significant bias in water-table reconstructions.
- Discrepancies were observed when Corythion-Trinema types were highly abundant (50-60%).
- Reconstruction deviations of 9-12 cm were noted in cases with high Corythion-Trinema abundance.
Conclusions:
- Excluding WISTs from analyses is recommended for robust palaeohydrological reconstructions.
- Minimum testate amoebae counts should exclude WISTs to ensure data integrity.
- Further attention to specific taxa like Corythion-Trinema may be needed in certain contexts.
