Testate Amoeba Community dynamics in Forestry-Drained and Restored Peatlands

Peatlands are critically important ecosystems, yet they are facing significant risks due to anthropogenic pressures. In Europe, drying of pristine peat ecosystems during the recent decades have been observed due to both direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts. Historically, peatlands have also been extensively drained by human activity, but efforts to restore them to their natural state have recently increased. The combined effects of climate change and human activities are expected to influence the carbon dynamics of peatlands in the future. Changes in peatland microbial communities can be used to assess past changes of peatlands as well as the current soil health.

Microscopical testate amoebae play a crucial role in peatland carbon cycling as important members of microbial communities, acting as predators and decomposers. Testate amoebae are sensitive to changes in moisture conditions and, therefore, they have traditionally been used to model past moisture conditions in peatlands. However, the response of peatland microbial communities to restoration needs further investigation, as it is essential for improving our understanding of the underlying processes affecting carbon cycling in these ecosystems.

This study aims to examine changes in testate amoeba communities in forestry-drained peatlands in the boreal zone over time including time before, during, and after peatland drainage and restoration. The study seeks to expand the understanding of the community structure of testate amoebae in peatlands, particularly in forested peatlands/swamps, as there is a lack of research on testate amoeba community structure in these habitats.

In this study, testate amoeba analyses have been conducted on three peatlands located in southern Finland: one serves as a natural reference site, while the other two have been drained and subsequently restored. Preliminary results suggest that the structure of testate amoeba communities varies significantly across different peat layers in the reference site. In the drained and restored sites, testate amoeba communities in some peat cores indicate the presence of species typical of moister habitats at shallower peat depths (restored sections), whereas the signal in other cores remains more unclear.