Testate amoebae response and vegetation composition after plantation removal on a former raised bog

Creevy, AL and Wilkinson, DM and Andersen, R and Payne, RJ (2023) Testate amoebae response and vegetation composition after plantation removal on a former raised bog. The European Journal of Protistology, 89. ISSN 0932-4739

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Abstract

Extensive drainage of peatlands in north-west Europe for afforestation for timber production and harvesting has altered the carbon balance and biodiversity value. Large-scale restoration projects aim to reinstate hydrological conditions to keep carbon locked up in the peat and to restart active peat growth. Testate amoebae are an informal grouping of well-studied protists in peatland environments and as microbial consumers play an important role in nutrient and carbon cycling. Using a space for time substitution approach, this study investigated the response of testate amoebae assemblages and vegetation composition after tree removal on a drained raised bog. There was a clear difference in microbial assemblages between open and a chronosequence of restoration areas. Results suggest microbial recovery after rewetting is a slow process with plant composition showing a faster response than the microbial assemblage. Mixotrophic testate amoebae had not recovered seventeen years following plantation removal and the establishment of Sphagnum mosses in the wetter microforms. These results suggest that vegetation composition and Testate amoeba assemblages respond differently to environmental drivers at forest-to-bog restoration areas. Local physicochemical peat properties were a stronger driver of the testate assemblage compared with vegetation. Complete recovery of microbial assemblages may take place over decadal timescales.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	“NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in The European Journal of Protistology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in The European Journal of Protistology, Volume 89, June 2023, available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0932473923000226
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Human and Digital Sciences > School of Computer Science and the Environment
Depositing User:	Angela Creevy
Date Deposited:	17 Apr 2023 11:29
Last Modified:	14 Jan 2025 10:17
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/3836

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