PAGES Poland

testate amoebae

Testate amoebae represent a valuable tool in palaeo-hydrological studies in Sphagnum mires.

To reconstruct water table changes quantitatively a good modern dataset is required. For Poland, such a dataset was recently created from surface samples from Pomerania. We modeled the response of species (optimum and tolerance) to environmental variables. Subsequently, this training set was used for inference of past hydrological conditions from Sphagnum mires in northern Poland, Tuchola, Jelenia Wyspa, Stażki and Słowińskie Błoto.



In addition, plant macrofossils and palynological analyses were used to reconstruct changes in the local and regional vegetation and the history of human impact. In two of the study sites we observed correlations between the testate amoebae inferred hydrology and climate change, as well as human activities (e.g., deforestations or damming).

Mariusz Lamentowicz