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The Impact of Simulated Sulfate Deposition on Peatland Testate Amoebae

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

Peatlands subjected to sulfate deposition have been shown to produce less methane, believed to be due to competitive exclusion of methanogenic archaea by sulfate-reducing bacteria. Here, we address whether sulfate deposition produces impacts on a higher microbial group, the testate amoebae. Sodium sulfate was applied to experimental plots on a Scottish peatland and samples extracted after a period of more than 10 years. Impacts on testate amoebae were tested using redundancy analysis and Mann–Whitney tests. Results showed statistically significant impacts on amoebae communities particularly noted by decreased abundance of Trinema lineare, Corythion dubium, and Euglypha rotunda. As the species most reduced in abundance are all small bacterivores we suggest that our results support the hypothesis of a shift in dominant prokaryotes, although other explanations are possible. Our results demonstrate the sensitivity of peatland microbial communities to sulfate deposition and suggest sulfate may be a potentially important secondary control on testate amoebae communities.

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Acknowledgements

RJP was supported by a Humanities Research Fellowship from the University of Manchester. Fieldwork was funded by the University of Manchester. Thanks to Moray Estates and Scottish Natural Heritage for permission to work on Moidach More. Figure 1 was drawn by Graham Bowden. Comments from three anonymous reviewers helped improve the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography, School of Environment and Development, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Richard Payne

  2. Department of Earth and Environmental Science, CEPSAR, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK

    Vincent Gauci

  3. School of Geography, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4RJ, UK

    Dan J. Charman

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  1. Richard Payne
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  2. Vincent Gauci
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Correspondence to Richard Payne.

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Payne, R., Gauci, V. & Charman, D.J. The Impact of Simulated Sulfate Deposition on Peatland Testate Amoebae. Microb Ecol 59, 76–83 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-009-9552-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-009-9552-6

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