The Arctic is experiencing substantial warming with possibly large consequences for global climate when its large soil carbon stocks are mobilized. Yet the functioning of permafrost peatlands, which contain considerable amounts of carbon, is still not fully understood. Palaeoecological studies may contribute to unravelling this functioning but require actuo-ecological calibration of the environmental proxies used. Testate amoebae may be valuable proxies for palaeoecological reconstruction, but indeed still large gaps exist regarding their present-day distribution in Arctic peatlands. This study presents the distribution of testate amoebae taxa with high (1 m) spatial resolution along a transect crossing an Arctic ice-wedge polygon mire. Whereas the polygon ridges are characterised by taxa that are known to be typical of dry environments or hydrologically indifferent, the low-lying wet settings show a mixture of wet- and dry-living taxa, indicating seasonally rapidly changing conditions. High testate amoebae concentrations were only found on the dry polygon ridges. Archerella flavum occurs in various moss species in drier polygon settings, in contrast to temperate regions where the species is exclusively known from wet sites with Sphagnum, which probably relates to the special moisture conditions associated with permafrost. To compare the results of full testate amoebae analysis with those of palynology, each surface sample was split into two parts and prepared and analysed following standard testate amoebae analysis and palynological methods, respectively. Clear differences in qualitative content were found and can be attributed to the different preparation methods and to possible small (a few cm) differences in sample location. Nevertheless, the indicative value of testate amoebae found in pollen samples adds importantly to the ecological inference of palynological studies. Overall testate amoebae research is very valuable for the recognition of past ecological settings and the accurate reconstruction of past hydrological regimes in Arctic mires. Considerably more research is, however, necessary to cover the total (ecological) diversity of testate amoebae populations in NE Siberia.

中文翻译：

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北极冰楔多边形沼泽（Berelekh-Indigirka 低地，西伯利亚东北部）中遗嘱变形虫的短距离分布模式

北极正在经历大幅变暖，当其大量土壤碳储量被调动时，可能会对全球气候产生重大影响。然而，对含有大量碳的永久冻土泥炭地的功能仍然没有完全了解。古生态学研究可能有助于解开这种功能，但需要对所使用的环境代理进行动态生态校准。有遗嘱的变形虫可能是古生态重建的有价值的代表，但实际上它们在北极泥炭地的现今分布仍然存在很大的差距。本研究展示了具有高 (1 m) 空间分辨率的遗嘱变形虫类群沿穿越北极冰楔多边形泥沼的横断面的分布。虽然多边形山脊的特征是已知典型的干燥环境或水文无关的类群，但低洼潮湿环境显示干湿生物类群的混合，表明季节性快速变化的条件。仅在干燥的多边形山脊上发现了高浓度的遗嘱变形虫。Archerella flavum 出现在较干燥的多边形环境中的各种苔藓物种中，与温带地区形成鲜明对比的是，温带地区的物种仅在有泥炭藓的潮湿地区已知，这可能与与永久冻土相关的特殊水分条件有关。为了将完整的遗嘱变形虫分析结果与孢粉学的结果进行比较，将每个表面样品分成两部分，并分别按照标准的遗嘱变形虫分析和孢粉学方法进行制备和分析。发现定性含量存在明显差异，这可归因于不同的制备方法以及样品位置可能存在的微小（几厘米）差异。然而，在花粉样本中发现的遗嘱变形虫的指示价值为孢粉学研究的生态推断增添了重要意义。总体而言，阿米巴变形虫研究对于识别过去的生态环境和准确重建北极沼泽过去的水文状况非常有价值。然而，需要更多的研究来涵盖西伯利亚东北部有遗嘱变形虫种群的总体（生态）多样性。在花粉样本中发现的有遗嘱变形虫的指示价值对孢粉学研究的生态推断具有重要意义。总体而言，阿米巴变形虫研究对于识别过去的生态环境和准确重建北极沼泽过去的水文状况非常有价值。然而，需要更多的研究来涵盖西伯利亚东北部有遗嘱变形虫种群的总体（生态）多样性。在花粉样本中发现的有遗嘱变形虫的指示价值对孢粉学研究的生态推断具有重要意义。总体而言，阿米巴变形虫研究对于识别过去的生态环境和准确重建北极沼泽过去的水文状况非常有价值。然而，需要更多的研究来涵盖西伯利亚东北部有遗嘱变形虫种群的总体（生态）多样性。