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The moss dwelling testacean fauna of Île de la Possession

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Abstract

An ecological study of the moss dwelling testacean fauna (Protozoa, Rhizopoda) on Île de la Possession (Crozet Archipelago, sub-Antarctica) revealed 83 taxa, belonging to 21 genera. The moss flora was dominated by cosmopolitan and ubiquitous taxa, such as Trinema lineare, T. enchelys, Euglypha laevis and E. rotunda. A cluster analysis and a correspondence analysis identified three communities: (1) a Corythion dubium assemblage found in a drier, slightly acidic terrestrial moss vegetation, (2) the Arcella arenaria, and (3) the Difflugiella crenulata assemblages, both characteristic of wetter, circumneutral habitats. The latter typified submerged mosses growing in running water, while the A. arenaria assemblage seemed to prefer mosses in standing waterbodies. Moisture conditions appeared to play a key role in determining the distribution pattern of testacean communities, while pH was only a secondary factor. A logistic regression emphasised the effect of the habitat type in controlling the variance in testacean assemblages. Moreover, the close relationship between bryophyte species and habitat type had a significant influence on the distribution pattern of the testate amoebae. Weighted averaging and calibration were used to estimate moisture optima and tolerances of the testate amoebae.

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Acknowledgements

The sampling was made possible by the logistic and financial support of the French Polar Institute in the frame of the Terrestrial Program 136 (Dr. Yves Frenot and Ir. M. Lebouvier, Université de Rennes, France). Additional funding was provided by the Science Foundation, Flanders (FWO). Prof. Dr. W.H. De Smet is acknowledged for his help during sampling. Bart Van de Vijver is post-doctoral researcher at the FWO, Flanders. Prof. Dr. Stefan Van Dongen is thanked for his help with the logistic regression analysis.

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  1. Department of Biology, Unit of Polar Ecology, Limnology and Paleobiology, University of Antwerp (Campus Middelheim), Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium

    Sofie Vincke, Louis Beyens & Bart Van de Vijver

  2. Data Analyse Ecologie, Hesselsstraat 11, 7981 CD, Diever, The Netherlands

    Niek Gremmen

  3. NIOO-CEMO, PO Box 140, 4400 AC, Yerseke, The Netherlands

    Niek Gremmen

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  1. Sofie Vincke
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Correspondence to Sofie Vincke.

Appendix

Appendix

List of all observed testate amoebae taxa, including abbreviations used in text and figures. The taxon’s frequency of appearance (%) is also added

ARCARE

Arcella arenaria Greeff

3.99

ARCDIS

Arcella discoides Ehrenberg

0.01

ARCHS1

Archerella sp1

0.08

ASSMUS

Assulina muscorum Greeff

1.06

ASSSEM

Assulina seminulum Penard

0.03

ASSSP1

Assulina sp1

0.63

CENACT

Centropyxis aculeata Stein

0.01

CENAER

Centropyxis aerophila Deflandre

1.55

CENASP

Centropyxis aerophila vas sphagnicola Deflandre

0.11

CENASY

Centropyxis aerophila vas sylvatica Deflandre

0.05

CENCAS

Centropyxis cassis Deflandre

0.01

CENDEF

Centropyxis deflandriana Bonnet

0.01

CENHIR

Centropyxis hirsuta Deflandre

0.01

CORDUB

Corythion dubium Taranek

7.89

CRYCOM

Cryptodifflugia compressa Penard

4.08

CYCSP1

Cyclopyxis sp1

0.05

CYCSP2

Cyclopyxis sp2

0.01

CYPSP1

Cyphoderia sp1

0.95

DIFAMP

Difflugia ampullula Playfair

0.01

DIFBAC

Difflugia bacillifera Penard

0.07

DIFBRY

Difflugia bryophila Jung

0.11

DIFCLU

Difflugia cfr. lucida

0.01

DIFGLA

Difflugia globulosa Dujardin

0.08

DIFGLO

Difflugia globulus Hopkinson

0.28

DIFLUC

Difflugia lucida Penard

0.14

DIFMIN

Difflugia minutissima Penard

0.02

DIFPRI

Difflugia pristis Penard

1.31

DIFPUL

Difflugia pulex Penard

0.73

DIFSP3

Difflugia sp3

0.10

DIFSP4

Difflugia sp4

0.02

DIFSP5

Difflugia sp5

0.48

DIFSP6

Difflugia sp6

0.01

DIFSP7

Difflugia sp7

0.01

DIFSP8

Difflugia sp8

1.15

DIFSP9

Difflugia sp9

0.09

DIFSP10

Difflugia sp10

0.01

DIFSP11

Difflugia sp11

0.07

DIFTEN

Difflugia tenuis (Penard) Chardez

0.42

DLACRE

Difflugiella crenulata Playfair

8.79

DLACRG

Difflugiella crenulata var. globosa Playfair

0.04

DLAMIN

Difflugiella minuta Playfair

0.05

DLAOVI

Difflugiella oviformis (Penard) Bonnet and Thomas

1.91

DLAOVF

Difflugiella oviformis var. fusca (Penard) Bonnet and Thomas

0.94

DLAPUS

Difflugiella pusilla Playfair

0.04

DLASAC

Difflugiella sacculus (Penard) Deflandre

0.03

DLASP3

Difflugiella sp3

0.03

EDACAM

Edaphonobiotus campascoides Schönborn. Foissner and Meisterfeld

0.18

EUGBRY

Euglypha bryophila Brown

0.01

EUGCIL

Euglypha ciliata (Ehrenberg) Perty

0.35

EUGCIG

Euglypha ciliata var. glabra Wailes

0.30

EUGCOM

Euglypha compressa Carter

0.05

EUGCOG

Euglypha compressa var. glabra Cash

0.03

EUGCRI

Euglypha cristata Leidy

0.38

EUGFIL

Euglypha filifera Penard

0.32

EUGLAE

Euglypha laevis Perty

0.03

EUGPOL

Euglypha polylepis Bonnet

4.78

EUGROT

Euglypha rotunda Wailes

0.59

EUGSP1

Euglypha sp1

5.44

EUGSP2

Euglypha sp2

0.01

EUGSP3

Euglypha sp3

0.12

EUGSP4

Euglypha sp4

0.01

EUGSTR

Euglypha strigosa Leidy

0.56

EUGTUB

Euglypha tuberculata Dujardin

0.16

EUGTUM

Euglypha tuberculata var. minor Taranek

0.01

HELSYL

Heleopera sylvatica Penard

0.20

HYASP1

Hyalosphenia sp1

0.06

HYASP2

Hyalosphenia sp2

0.03

HYASP3

Hyalosphenia sp3

0.02

HYASP4

Hyalosphenia sp4

0.01

MICPAT

Microchlamys patella (Claparede and Lachmann) Cockerell

1.58

NEBDEN

Nebela dentistoma Penard

0.07

NEBTUB

Nebela tubulata Brown

0.03

NEBVAS

Nebela vas Certes

0.46

NEBWAI

Nebela wailesi Deflandre

0.04

PARIRR

Paraquadrula irregularis Deflandre

0.13

PHRPAR

Phryganella paradoxa Penard

0.02

PSEFUL

Pseudodifflugia fulva Penard

2.07

PSEGRA

Pseudodifflugia gracilis Schlumberger

0.04

TRAACO

Tracheleuglypha acolla Bonnet and Thomas

0.02

TRADEN

Tracheleuglypha dentata (Vejdovsky) Deflandre

1.87

TRACOR

Trachelocorythion pulchellum (Penard) Bonnet

0.96

TRIENC

Trinema enchelys Leidy

11.79

TRILIN

Trinema lineare Penard

29.79

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Vincke, S., Gremmen, N., Beyens, L. et al. The moss dwelling testacean fauna of Île de la Possession. Polar Biol 27, 753–766 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-004-0655-8

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