DISTRIBUTION OF SOIL TESTATE AMOEBA ASSEMBLAGES ALONG CATENAS IN THE NORTHERN TAIGA ZONE (KARELIA, RUSSIA)

• Main Authors: Tsyganov, Andrey, Embulaeva, Elena, Mazei, Yuri
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Государственное образовательное учреждение высшего профессионального образования «Пензенский государственный университет» 2012
• Subjects: CATENA,NORTH TAIGA,SOIL,TESTATE AMOEBAE,TOPOGRAPHY; karelia*; taiga
• Online Access: http://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/distribution-of-soil-testate-amoeba-assemblages-along-catenas-in-the-northern-taiga-zone-karelia-russia; http://cyberleninka.ru/article_covers/14409232.png

Topography is one of the main factors, which regulate composition and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the relationships between topography and soil protozoa remain poorly understood. We studied the distribution of testate amoeba assemblages in soil biotopes located at various topographic positions along two topographical gradients (catenas) in a forest site in the north taiga zone (Karelia, Russia). The variation in testate amoeba assemblages was estimated using univariate assemblage characteristics (the abundance and species number) and the species composition. The results of our study show that the species number increased from the upper to the lower catenary positions. This indicates the more favourable environmental conditions for testate amoebae in wet and nutrient rich low-lying accumulative positions. The species composition of testate amoeba assemblages changed along the catenas depending on the position of biotopes. The effects of topography on the species compositions decrease at the lower positions so that assemblages there have more similar composition. Our results show the important role of topography in regulation of spatial patterns of soil protozoa and demonstrate that other environmental variables can modify effects of topography.