This study develops techniques for the preparation and counting of testate amoebae for Holocene sea-level reconstructions. In addition, this study provides a ~3000 year relative sea-level reconstruction for south Hinnøya in the Vesterålen islands off mainland Norway, adding new data to a poorly defined period of the Holocene sea-level history of north-western Norway. This is important to quantify rates of glacial-isostatic adjustment (GIA), to refine GIA models, and to establish baseline (pre-industrial) rates of relative sea-level change. Surface sediments from two salt marshes (Storosen and Svinøyosen) in south Hinnøya are used to assess the effects of using different preparation procedures and count totals when analysing for testate amoebae. Analytical efficiency can be improved upon by using a mild alkali, chemical disaggregant (5 % KOH) to break up fibrous salt-marsh sediment and concentrate tests prior to counting. A count total of 100 individuals, rather than 150, can be used to make time gains with little or no effects on assemblages. Training sets of salt-marsh surface testate amoebae, foraminifera and elevational data are established for the two field sites. For testate amoebae, species – elevation relationships are constructed using regression modelling and applied to downcore fossil samples using a transfer function to derive estimates of sea level for the past ~100 years. The greater water depths reconstructed between ~3000 and ~100 years ago are not covered by modern foraminiferal training sets and are therefore estimated qualitatively from the fossil foraminiferal assemblages supplemented by information derived from fossil molluscs. Chronology is based on a combination of AMS14C, 210Pb, 137Cs and a suite of geochemical markers. At south Hinnøya, sea level has been falling at a rate of ~0.5 mm yr-1 over the last 3000 years.

No / A laboratory-based experiment was carried out to examine the dissolution characteristics of testate amoebae (Protozoa: Rhizopoda) under acidic conditions. The results suggest a large degree of variability in the dissolution susceptibility of taxa and no straightforward distinction between the relative robustness of xenosomic and idiosomic test types. Individuals from the genus Euglypha have tests composed of thin-walled siliceous plates, which are prone to severe dissolution. Certain other taxa are relatively unaffected by low pH conditions, including Assulina muscorum, Amphitrema flavum and Trigonopyxis arcula type. Differential preservation of subfossil testate amoebae must be acknowledged as a particular problem for peat-based palaeoclimate studies.

4 Abstract The present thesis focuses on testate amoebae (TA) and their relationship to their natural environment, as well as on relevant microscopic imaging methods. The bulk of the data has been published in original scientific papers and is compiled into three separate chapters (Pt I, Pt II and Pt III), each annotated by a brief introduction. (Pt I) The methods section is devoted to specialized microscopic techniques employed to broaden the scope of the ecological analyses. In particular, precise discrimination between live and dead individuals, biomass determination inside individual tests and a multi-modal visualization of the cytoplasm and organelles enhance the data. Laser scanning confocal microscopy and two-photon microscopy are the main imaging modalities employed to study TA morphology in detail. The data have implications for taxonomy and ecophysiology, including the use of TA as bioindicators of pollution. (Pt II) An actuoecological analysis focuses on the seasonal variability of TA species composition in a freshwater ecosystem, namely the Komo any ponds in Prague, during the course of the year. The species composition variation is correlated to simultaneously recorded limnological parameters such as temperature, pH, contamination by (heavy) metals (As, Cd, Mn, Ni, Fe, Pb), polycyclic aromatic...

A paleoecological study was carried out on a 4.7 m peat core from Anderson Fen on central Vancouver Island, using a multi-proxy approach. Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, and physicochemical analyses were used to document past vegetation, peatland developmental history, and carbon and nitrogen accumulation rates over the last 14,000 years. Lake sediment and aquatic plant remains at the base of the core indicate a shallow pond was present at the site after deglaciation. By ~11,700 calendar years before present (cal yr BP), the shallow pond became a herb-dominated wetland (marsh) through terrestrialization. Bog formation started around 10,500 cal yr BP with decreasing water levels, as indicated by high C:N, Sphagnum and fungal remains, and testate amoebae such as Archerella flavum and Heleopera. A fen developed by ~9400 cal yr BP with fluctuating water levels through the rest of Holocene. Carbon accumulation rates were highest towards the surface and during the early Holocene warm period, with an overall mean rate of 12.9 g/m2/cal yr, which is low compared to continental and northern peatlands. Pollen analysis reveals that non-arboreal communities dominated by Salix prevailed soon after deglaciation before the expansion of Pinus forests 13,200 cal yr BP. Pseudotsuga menziesii dominated forests between ~10,700 and 8400 cal yr BP under warm and dry conditions. Tsuga heterophylla rainforest was established by ~7000 cal yr BP under increasingly cool and wet conditions. Overall, Anderson fen and the surrounding area experienced major and rapid changes in environmental conditions and vegetation in response to climate change during the late glacial and early Holocene, while mid- to late Holocene changes have been more subtle and relatively gradual. / Graduate / 2020-10-25

This thesis investigates sea-level changes in order to test the hypothesis that the main contribution to early 20th century sea-level rise was Northern Hemisphere land-based ice melt. Multiproxy sea-level reconstructions were established for the Falkland Islands, a location where models suggest sea-level rise from Northern Hemisphere ice melt produces the largest signal. The Falklands reconstruction indicated sea levels in the early 20th century accelerated compared to the long-term rate, synchronous with accelerations observed globally. The magnitude of the acceleration in the Falklands reconstruction was greater than Northern Hemisphere rates, consistent with the spatial pattern from a Northern Hemisphere melt source, but likely less than in New Zealand and Australia. It is therefore not possible rule out other contributions to the observed sea-level acceleration. The Falklands reconstruction indicated a rapid sea-level jump around 8.4 ka BP, synchronous with a jump observed in the Northern Hemisphere, which has been attributed to the sudden drainage of Laurentide proglacial lake Agassiz-Ojibway associated with the 8.2 ka BP climatic downturn. A maximum estimate of 0.89 ± 0.22 m for this jump in the Falklands is considerably less than estimates from Northern Hemisphere records. This difference could indicate additional contributions from the Southern Hemisphere are being recorded in the Northern Hemisphere signal. This thesis also focused on developing testate amoebae as sea-level indicators. In the Falklands, testate amoebae transfer functions were able to reconstruct sea level with precision (±0.08 m) comparable to diatoms (±0.07 m). However, preservation issues were indicated in the fossil testate amoebae assemblages which limits their use as tools for sea-level reconstruction. In addition, contemporary distributions of salt-marsh testate amoebae were investigated over one annual cycle. Seasonal variations in the live assemblages were observed to be asynchronous between taxa. Variations in the death assemblages were also observed which were correlated with variations in the live assemblages. This observation suggests the commonly applied assumption in palaeoenvironmental studies that analysing the death population negates temporal bias is invalid. Further research is required to investigate the impact these observed variations have on reconstructive performance.

In this thesis, the results of microfossil, biofacies, and geochemical analyses (µXRF) of the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Ferron – Notom delta, Utah, USA are reported and discussed. The Notom delta is the oldest of three clastic deltas in the Ferron Sandstone Member, Mancos Shale Formation. Foraminifera and testate amoebae were recovered from ninety-eight mudstone samples among five well-exposed outcrops (Caineville North, Steamboat, Blue Hills, Neilson Wash, and Coalmine Wash). Detailed observations showed foraminifera, and testate amoebae tests have undergone post-burial compression (flattening), dissolution, and transport/reworking; therefore, identification of these assemblages to their species level is difficult. The micropaleontological analysis of the Ferron-Notom delta consists of three studies. Morphogroup analysis was applied on foraminifera and testate amoebae, where a relationship between the test morphology and habitat was established. Morphogroup analysis resulted in four main morphogroups and eleven morphotypes and were assigned to life mode, environment, and feeding strategies. Three foraminifera morphogroups and one testate amoebae morphogroup were established indicate a range of environments, from shallow shelf to shallow shelf to lagoon/estuary environments. Biofacies analysis using the morphotypes was applied on three outcrops (Caineville North, Steamboat, and Blue Hills). We use the morphotypes to define the four main biofacies using cluster analysis, and biodiversity indices. Four biofacies showed marine and fluvial (freshwater) influences. Salinity and OM indices were derived from the relationship of foraminifera morphotypes (BiS, TrS, TS) and testate amoebae morphotypes (Ta-F, Ta-D, Ta-S) that follows lithofacies trends. Because of the under-representation of calcareous foraminifera (due to taphonomic and/or diagenetic factors), the biodiversity indices are treated herein as relative measures. Despite this taphonomic bias, the agglutinated foraminifera and testate amoebae morphogroups show trends with salinity both among the outcrops and stratigraphically within the outcrops. The Blue Hills outcrop represents the most landward and lowest salinity environment (tidally-influenced backwater), Steamboat is more coast proximal with a higher salinity of the delta front and fluvial estuarine environments, and the Caineville North outcrop represents the most coast proximal (fluvial/estuarine to deltaic/prodeltaic) with salinities ranging from low to medium. It appears that the landward transport and coastward of tests was a significant source of taphonomic bias. Nonetheless, the assemblages provide useful depositional information that correlates with previously documented lithofacies data. A salinity index based on a ratio of trochospiral taxa versus testate amoebae was found to provide a useful measure of coastal proximity that matches lithofacies trends. The µXRF analysis was conducted on twenty-nine mudstone samples from the Caineville North outcrop to examine elemental proxies for paleo-salinity (Sr/Ba), organic matter (K/S), redox (V/Ni), and sediment sources (Zr/Rb, Ti/Fe, Ti/Ca). Twenty-nine surface mudstone samples collected from four lithofacies representing prodelta, delta front, fluvial valley fill and shelf environments. Fourteen elements (Ti, Fe, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ni, Rb, Zr, S, V, Cu, Mn, Si, and K) were used to calculate proxy ratios to detect variations in terrigenous sediments, carbonate production, salinity, grain size, and fluvial inputs in the Caineville North outcrop. Elemental data showed good correspondence between the elemental data and the lithofacies and microfossil indices. Sr/Ba and Ca/Fe showed relationships with carbonate content and proximity to the shoreline. The paleo-salinity proxy (Sr/Ba) did not respond to salinity, but was more responsive to lithological change of carbonate content. The microfossil salinity index seems to be a more accurate paleo-salinity indicator. The proxy for fluvial input of sediment (Zr/Rb and Ti/Fe) agree well with the lithofacies trends, and Zr/Rb and Ti/Fe showed highest values within the fluvial valley fill facies, with higher variability of Ti/Fe compared to the other lithofacies (prodelta, delta front, and shelf), corresponding to response to the proximity of the depositional sites to a fluvial sediment source. The redox proxy V/Ni matched the previously derived microfossil OM index ("bolivind-type" taxa) showing a strong relationship between eutrophication and redox trends. The study aims to establish important baseline geochemical compositions of sediment sources to establish patterns and trends with sediment succession in the deeper basin (offshore; i.e. Mancos Shale). Potentially, these nearshore to fluvial trends will provide important geochemical data to assess changes in paleoclimate, and sea-level in offshore sediment successions. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>High density sampling (n=50) was conducted in Cootes Paradise, a shallow wetland on the western shoreline of Lake Ontario near the city of Hamilton. Cootes Paradise is an urban wetland that has been affected by pollutants and nutrients and invasive carp. Thecamoebian analyses paired with site specific environmental measurements (depth, sp. conductivity, temperature, DO and pH) and substrate characteristics (textural and organic content -LOI) show relationships (R² = 0.6) with depth (0-1m) and corresponding sp. conductivity (0.5 to 0.65 mS/cm) and temperature (26.5 to 30.5 °C). Q-mode cluster analysis recognized two biofacies. Biofacies 1 samples (n= 26) are found in the deeper areas (0.70 ± 0.27 m) and dominated by <em>C. tricuspis</em> 36 ± 8% (1 std), <em>L. vas</em> 18 ± 13% and <em>D. protaeiformis “claviformis”</em> 14 ± 6%. Mean water temperature is 28.0 ± 0.6 °C and conductivity at 0.56 ± 0.04 mS/cm. This assemblage has low species diversity (SDI=1.9 ± 0.3) which indicates a transitional environment. Biofacies 2 contains samples (n= 24) which are found in shallower areas (0.38 ± 0.15 m) and the assemblage is characterized by <em>C. constricta “aerophila”</em> 25 ± 8%, <em>C. tricuspis</em> 18 ± 5%, <em>Cyclopyxis sp.</em> 9 ± 6 % and <em>L. vas</em> 9 ± 4 %. The SDI for Biofacies 2 is 2.2 ± 0.2 and like Biofacies 1 shows a transitional environment. The average temperature is and 29.0 ± 1.0 °C with mean sp. conductivity also slightly higher than Biofacies 1 at 0.6 ± 0.04 mS/cm.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

Dans un contexte de réchauffement climatique, la fonction puits de carbone des tourbières à sphaignes est susceptible d’être altérée en raison d’une modification des interactions sphaignes-microorganismes, responsables de l’accumulation de carbone. L’objectif de cette thèse a été (1) d’identifier les interactions chimiques entre les polyphénols des sphaignes et les communautés microbiennes des sphaignes et (2) d’évaluer l’impact du réchauffement climatique sur ces relations.Un dispositif expérimental (Open Top Chambers) simulant in situ une hausse modérée des températures (+ 1°C) a été installé sur la tourbière de Frasne (25). La hausse des températures a provoqué une modification du réseau alimentaire microbien avec l’augmentation de la biomasse des bactéries et une baisse importante (-70%) de la biomasse des prédateurs (amibes à thèque). Le réchauffement climatique a également induit une baisse de la production de polyphénols, diminuant ainsi leur effet inhibiteur sur les microorganismes. En parallèle à cette baisse, une hausse des activités enzymatiques phénoloxydases a également été enregistrée. Le réchauffement a ainsi modifié les relations polyphénols – phénoloxydases, deux éléments essentiels du cycle du carbone des tourbières.Les différents changements induits par le réchauffement climatique (polyphénols, phénoloxydases, réseau trophique microbien) ont aussi conduit à une modification des relations « sphaignes-microorganismes » via une accélération potentielle du recyclage des nutriments, ce qui pourrait influencer sur le long terme le fonctionnement de l’écosystème tourbière. / Carbon stocks of Sphagnum-peatlands are likely to be altered by climate warming due to important changes in “Sphagnum-microorganisms” relationships which are responsible for carbon sequestration. The objectives of the thesis are (1) to identify the chemical interactions between Sphagnum-polyphenols and Sphagnum associated microbial communities and (2) to understand the impact of warming on these relationships.An experimental design using Open-Top-Chambers (OTC) was used to simulate an increase of air temperatures (+1°C) on a peatland situated in Jura Mountains (Frasne, 25). Temperature increase induced a modification of the microbial food web with an increase of the biomass of bacteria and a strong decrease of the biomass of top-predators (-70%), i.e. testate amoebae. Warming also induced a decrease of Sphagnum-polyphenols, diminishing their inhibitory effect on microbial communities. In parallel, an increase of phenoloxidase enzymatic activities was recorded in OTC. Climate warming thus modified polyphenol-phenoloxidase interplay, two crucial components of carbon cycle in peatlands. Warming effects on the different components – i.e. polyphenols, phenoloxidases, microbial food web – induced a modification of Sphagnum-microbial communities interplay, favoring carbon and nutrient recycling, which could alter peatland functioning in long-term.

O presente trabalho explora os aspectos taxonomicos, ecologicos, morfologicos, biometricos e biogeograficos dos Arcellinida Kent, 1880 coletados no Parque Ecologico do Rio Tiete, Sao Paulo Brasil. Foram encontrados organismos pertencentes a cerca de 30 taxons nominais, no entanto, a revisao da literatura, novos dados morfologicos obtidos atraves do Microscopio Eletronico de Varredura e medidas biometricas realizadas com grande numero de individuos permitem afirmar que muitos destes taxons estao se referindo a mesma entidade na natureza. Logo, na presente pesquisa sao descritas, com detalhes de distribuicao geografica, morfologia ultra-estrutural, morfometria e ecologia, especies pertencentes a quatro familias e cinco generos: Difflugia corona Wallich, 1864; Difflugia gramen Penard, 1902; Difflugia lanceolata Penard, 1890; Difflugia claviformis Penard, 1899; Difflugia gigantea Chardez, 1967; Centropyxis aculeata (Ehrenberg, 1838); Netzelia wailesi (Ogden, 1980); Lesquereusia modesta Rhumbler, 1895; Lesquereusia mimetica Penard, 1911; Arcella hemisphaerica Perty, 1852; Arcella gibbosa Penard, 1890; Arcella discoides Ehrenberg, 1871 e Arcella brasiliensis Cunha, 1913. Sao discutidas inovacoes taxonomicas para que a comparacao de dados obtidos usando tecnicas atuais com aqueles reportados na literatura tradicional seja feita da maneira mais explicita possivel, de modo a delimitar melhor o conceito taxonomico de cada especie abordada. / The present survey explores the taxonomic, ecologic, morphologic, biometric and biogeographic aspects of the Arcellinida Kent, 1880 collected at the Ecological Park of the Tiete River, Sao Paolo Brazil. Around 30 nominal taxa were identified, however, a review of the literature and new morphologic data obtained via the Scanning Electron Microscope and biometric measures with a large number of individuals allow the inference that many of these taxa are referring to the same natural entity. Therefore, the present work describes species from four families and five genera, along with details about geographic distribution, ultra-structural morphology, morphometry and ecology: Difflugia corona Wallich, 1864; Difflugia gramen Penard, 1902; Difflugia lanceolata Penard, 1890; Difflugia claviformis Penard, 1899; Difflugia gigantea Chardez, 1967; Centropyxis aculeata (Ehrenberg, 1838); Netzelia wailesi (Ogden, 1980); Lesquereusia modesta Rhumbler, 1895; Lesquereusia mimetica Penard, 1911; Arcella hemisphaerica Perty, 1852; Arcella gibbosa Penard, 1890; Arcella discoides Ehrenberg, 1871 e Arcella brasiliensis Cunha, 1913. Taxonomic innovations are discussed in order to make comparison of recent data with those reported on traditional literature a more explicit practice, allowing a better understanding of each species taxonomic concept.

O presente trabalho explora os aspectos taxonomicos, ecologicos, morfologicos, biometricos e biogeograficos dos Arcellinida Kent, 1880 coletados no Parque Ecologico do Rio Tiete, Sao Paulo Brasil. Foram encontrados organismos pertencentes a cerca de 30 taxons nominais, no entanto, a revisao da literatura, novos dados morfologicos obtidos atraves do Microscopio Eletronico de Varredura e medidas biometricas realizadas com grande numero de individuos permitem afirmar que muitos destes taxons estao se referindo a mesma entidade na natureza. Logo, na presente pesquisa sao descritas, com detalhes de distribuicao geografica, morfologia ultra-estrutural, morfometria e ecologia, especies pertencentes a quatro familias e cinco generos: Difflugia corona Wallich, 1864; Difflugia gramen Penard, 1902; Difflugia lanceolata Penard, 1890; Difflugia claviformis Penard, 1899; Difflugia gigantea Chardez, 1967; Centropyxis aculeata (Ehrenberg, 1838); Netzelia wailesi (Ogden, 1980); Lesquereusia modesta Rhumbler, 1895; Lesquereusia mimetica Penard, 1911; Arcella hemisphaerica Perty, 1852; Arcella gibbosa Penard, 1890; Arcella discoides Ehrenberg, 1871 e Arcella brasiliensis Cunha, 1913. Sao discutidas inovacoes taxonomicas para que a comparacao de dados obtidos usando tecnicas atuais com aqueles reportados na literatura tradicional seja feita da maneira mais explicita possivel, de modo a delimitar melhor o conceito taxonomico de cada especie abordada. / The present survey explores the taxonomic, ecologic, morphologic, biometric and biogeographic aspects of the Arcellinida Kent, 1880 collected at the Ecological Park of the Tiete River, Sao Paolo Brazil. Around 30 nominal taxa were identified, however, a review of the literature and new morphologic data obtained via the Scanning Electron Microscope and biometric measures with a large number of individuals allow the inference that many of these taxa are referring to the same natural entity. Therefore, the present work describes species from four families and five genera, along with details about geographic distribution, ultra-structural morphology, morphometry and ecology: Difflugia corona Wallich, 1864; Difflugia gramen Penard, 1902; Difflugia lanceolata Penard, 1890; Difflugia claviformis Penard, 1899; Difflugia gigantea Chardez, 1967; Centropyxis aculeata (Ehrenberg, 1838); Netzelia wailesi (Ogden, 1980); Lesquereusia modesta Rhumbler, 1895; Lesquereusia mimetica Penard, 1911; Arcella hemisphaerica Perty, 1852; Arcella gibbosa Penard, 1890; Arcella discoides Ehrenberg, 1871 e Arcella brasiliensis Cunha, 1913. Taxonomic innovations are discussed in order to make comparison of recent data with those reported on traditional literature a more explicit practice, allowing a better understanding of each species taxonomic concept.