Published in Protist 158, issue 2, 159-171, 2007 1 which should be used for any reference to this work Ecology of Testate Amoebae from Mires in the Central Rhodope Mountains, Greece and Development of a Transfer Function for Palaeohydrological Reconstruction Richard J. Paynea,b,1, and Edward A.D. Mitchellc,d aThe Fitch Laboratory, British School at Athens, Odhos Souidhı´as 52, GR-10676 Athens, Greece bGeography, School of Environment and Development, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK cWSL Swiss Federal Research Institute, Ecosystem Boundaries Research Unit, Wetlands Research Group, Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland dEcole Polytechnique Fe´ de´ rale de Lausanne, Laboratory of Ecological Systems, Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Testate amoebae are useful environmental indicators in ecological and palaeoecological studies from peatlands. Previous quantitative studies have focused on the peatlands of Northern and Central Europe, North America, and New Zealand and have considered a relatively restricted variety of peatland types, mostly ombrotrophic or Sphagnum-dominated while more minerotrophic fens have been less studied. Here we present the first quantitative ecological study of testate amoebae from four small mesotrophic fens (pH 5.5—8.1) in the Elatia Forest, northern Macedonia province, Greece. Relationships with the environmental data were investigated using redundancy analysis and mantel tests. Transfer function models were derived using a variety of techniques. Results demonstrate that as for Sphagnum- dominated mires hydrology is the most important control on amoebae community composition. Transfer function models should enable water tables to be predicted within 2.5 cm, when data selection is used this is reduced to less than 2 cm. pH is also an important environmental control on testate amoebae communities, a transfer function model enables pH prediction within 0.4 pH units. The hydrological transfer function is the best performing such model yet produced in terms of prediction error. This study provides new data on the ecology of testate amoebae in fens, and the transfer function models should allow quantitative palaeohydrological reconstruction. Key words: protists; transfer functions; palaeoclimate; peatlands; mire surface wetness. 1 Corresponding author; e-mail [email protected] (R.J. Payne). Abbreviations: Boot, results assessed by bootstrap cross validation e.g. RMSEPboot denotes RMSEP assessed by bootstrapping; DWT, depth to water table; Jack, results assessed by jack-knife (also termed ‘leave-one-out’) cross validation e.g. RMSEPjack denotes RMSEP assessed by jack-knifing; LOI, loss on ignition; MaxBias; maximum bias; ML, maximum likelihood; PLS, partial least squares; RMSEP, root mean square error of prediction; WA, weighted average; WA-PLS, weighted average partial least squares. 2 Introduction Testate amoebae (Protista) are an abundant group et al. 1993; Bouzinos et al. 1997, 2000; Christanis of micro-organisms in many terrestrial and aquatic 1996). Ombrotrophic peatlands are not known environments and are particularly numerous in in Greece but more oligotrophic mires are peatlands where they may constitute as much as present in the uplands of northern Macedonia 30% of the microbial biomass (Gilbert et al. 1998; and Epirus. Although testate amoebae have Mitchell et al. 2003). Testate amoebae species been studied in Greek soils (e.g. Bonnet 1967, have closely defined preferences for a variety of 1986) we are not aware of any previous studies environmental variables including hydrology, pH from Greek peatlands. Although peatland testate and nutrient status and are valuable as bioindica- amoebae are generally believed to be cosmopo- tors (Booth 2001; Charman and Warner 1992; litan, the existence of local species (either mor- Mitchell et al. 1999; Tolonen et al. 1994; Warner phologically distinct or cryptic) or locally adapted 1987). Testate amoebae are characterised by a populations is possible. It would therefore be decay-resistant shell (the test), which may remain inappropriate to assume that studies from else- preserved for millennia and allow species-level where in Europe are also applicable to Greek identification long after death. The combination of mires. good preservation and defined ecological niches This work investigates testate amoebae ecology makes testate amoebae a useful tool in palaeoe- from mires in northern Greece. The aims of the cological studies (Charman 2001). study are fourfold: (1) to add to our knowledge of Palaeoecological studies using testate amoe- these important micro-organisms and their inter- bae have primarily concentrated on reconstructing action with their environment, (2) to establish the hydrological change. In ombrotrophic (precipita- community composition of these peatland sites tion fed) peatlands hydrology is believed to be and therefore add to our understanding of directly linked to hydroclimate. Therefore by testate amoebae diversity and biogeography, (3) reconstructing the movement of bog water tables to produce transfer function models which it is possible to reconstruct Holocene climatic may allow palaeohydrological and palaeoacidity change. Testate amoebae-climate reconstructions reconstruction from mires in Greece, and (4) to agree well with instrumental climate data and compare the ecological optima of taxa and other proxy-climate records (Booth and Jackson performance of the transfer functions with data 2003; Charman and Hendon 2000; Charman et al. from other regions. 2001, 2004; Schoning et al. 2005). Quantitative hydrological reconstruction re- quires transfer function models that relate com- munity compositions to a measurable environ- mental variable. Transfer function models for Sites hydrology have now been developed from regions The mires investigated lie in an area of mature around the world with the greatest concentration coniferous forest in the heart of the Elatia Forest in in North America and northern and central Europe the Central Rhodope Mountains, approximately (Bobrov et al. 1999; Booth 2001, 2002; Charman 40 km north of Drama (41 1290N, 24 1190E; and Warner 1992, 1997; Lamentowicz and 1500 m asl; Fig. 1). The area has a moist Mitchell 2005; Mitchell et al. 1999; Payne continental climate, annual rainfall is around et al. 2006; Tolonen et al. 1994; Warner and 1200 mm and mean annual temperature is Charman 1994; Wilmshurst et al. 2003; Woodland around 9 1C(Prefectural Local Government of et al. 1998). However, there have been no Drama 2000). The study area is underlain by the quantitative studies of testate amoebae in peat- Elatia-Skaloti granites (Papazisimou et al. lands in southern Europe or more arid regions in 2002) and the combination of these impermeable general. substrates and the comparatively cool and wet Peatlands are rare in Greece due to the warm/ climate has probably allowed the formation dry climate and prevalence of limestone bedrocks, of the unusual Elatia mires. Papazisimou et al. combined with anthropogenic drainage over sev- (2002) described the general morphology, strati- eral thousand years (Bouzinos et al. 1994, 1997; graphy and vegetation of four small peatland sites, Christanis 1996; Papazisimou et al. 2002). Peat- which they classified as transitional mires, and lands, primarily topogeneous fens exist in several assigned site codes that are also used here areas, particularly in the north of the country (Botis (Table 1). 3 Bulgaria Field Sites Gncvkc"Hqtguv Elatia Forest Greece Drama 30 km Figure 1. Location map of Elatia site. Results is used site variables independently explain 7.9% of variance and environmental variables indepen- Data Summary dently explain 9.8% of variance (Po0.001). With organic content and pH (but not the site variables) Environmental data show a restricted hydrological partialled out, water table depth explains 10% of gradient compared to other studies (DWT values variance (Po0.001). from À1 to 15.5 cm) but significant variance in pH Principal components analysis of plant samples (5.5—8.1) and organic content (20—92% loss on (Fig. 5) also shows differences among sites and ignition). Sites KB and DE are notable for drier some general similarity with the amoebae data. surface conditions while site BO has less organic Sites XE and BO have lower scores on axis one sediments than the other sites (Fig. 2). A total of than sites KB and DE. BO samples are tightly 9386 amoebae of 48 taxa were counted (Table 2); clustered on the left of the plot. The redundancy themostabundantwereEuglypha rotunda analyses show DWT, pH and LOI explain 40% type (20% of total count), Centropyxis aerophila of variance (Po0.001). Site variables indepen- type (14.3% of total) and Trinema lineare (12.6% of dently explain 12.1% of variance and environ- total). mental variables independently explain 8.7% of variance. Ordination and Mantel Tests The Mantel tests show that all data sets (amoebae, plants, sites and environmental data) Principal components analysis results (Fig. 3) are significantly correlated (Po0.001), with the show distinct differences in amoebae commu- best correlation between the testate amoebae and nities among sites. Sites KB and DE have higher environmental data (r ¼ 0.58). For the amoebae scores on axis one and sites KB and BO have data the correlation with the environmental vari- higher scores on axis two. In the redundancy ables is significantly better (r ¼ 0.58) than with analysis water table depth, pH, organic content the sites (r ¼ 0.41), for the plant data