The structure of testate amoebae communities in swamp complexes of the forest zone of some areas of the Kamchatka peninsula

Background. Understanding the patterns of distribution of organisms in different types of biotopes is one of the main tasks of ecology. This task is especially relevant in relation to single-celled organisms, which remain insufficiently studied. Freshwater testate amoebae are used as a model object for such studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the species composition and structure of testate amoebae communities within the highly macroscopically homogeneous sphagnum raft of bog complexes in the forest zone of the Kamchatka peninsula. Materials and methods. The material for the work was the results of a study of surface samples of sphagnum mosses, which were collected in the territory of three bog ecosystems of the Kamchatka peninsula. In the laboratory, the samples were processed according to a method based on filtering and settling of aqueous extracts, to study the species composition and structure of testate amoebae communities. All found specimens of testate amoebae were analyzed in aqueous suspensions using an inverted microscope of the Biomed-6PR model at a magnification of ×250. To identify the nature of the differences between local communities, species ordination was performed using the principal component analysis method based on the values of relative abundances of species. Results. As a result of the conducted research, 103 species and intraspecific taxa of testate amoebae were found. In the studied communities, the dominant ones are typical sphagnobiont and eurybiont representatives of testate amoebae, which are characterized by a wide geographical distribution. The main differences in the species composition of testate amoebae communities are determined by the humidity of the biotopes. In Swamp No. 2 and Swamp No. 3, transitional variants of communities are noted, and Swamp No. 1 is characterized by the most hydrophilic community. Conclusions. The conducted research showed that on the Kamchatka Peninsula, testate amoebae are a rather diverse and quite common component of swamp ecosystems. Features of the hydrological regime play a major role in the differentiation of communities in the studied ecosystems. In the swamp ecosystems of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the species composition of testate amoebae communities is formed by typical species that are characteristic of most similar biotopes.