A survey of the testate amoeba genus Difflugia Leclerc, 1815 based on specimens in the E. Penard and C.G. Ogden collections of the Natural History Museum, London. Part 2: Species with shells that are pyriform or elongate.

© 2014 The Author(s). Protistology © 2014 Protozoological Society Affiliated with RAS. All articles published by Protistology are permanently accessible online immediately upon publication, without subscription charges or registration barriers

Development of a new pan-European testate amoeba transfer function for reconstructing peatland palaeohydrology

In the decade since the first pan-European testate amoeba-based transfer function for peatland palaeohydrological reconstruction was published, a vast amount of additional data collection has been undertaken by the research community. Here, we expand the pan-European dataset from 128 to 1799 samples, spanning 35° of latitude and 55° of longitude. After the development of a new taxonomic scheme to permit compilation of data from a wide range of contributors and the removal of samples with high pH values, we developed ecological transfer functions using a range of model types and a dataset of ∼1300 samples. We rigorously tested the efficacy of these models using both statistical validation and independent test sets with associated instrumental data. Model performance measured by statistical indicators was comparable to other published models. Comparison to test sets showed that taxonomic resolution did not impair model performance and that the new pan-European model can therefore be used as an effective tool for palaeohydrological reconstruction. Our results question the efficacy of relying on statistical validation of transfer functions alone and support a multi-faceted approach to the assessment of new models. We substantiated recent advice that model outputs should be standardised and presented as residual values in order to focus interpretation on secure directional shifts, avoiding potentially inaccurate conclusions relating to specific water-table depths. The extent and diversity of the dataset highlighted that, at the taxonomic resolution applied, a majority of taxa had broad geographic distributions, though some morphotypes appeared to have restricted ranges

Tree pollen representation in surface pollen assemblages from different vegetation zones of European Russia

The paper presents the results of studies of 270 modern pollen assemblages from different vegetation zones of the East European plain. According to obtained data the ratio of the main components in pollen assemblages from forest and forest-steppe localities is characterized by higher proportion of the regional components (e.g., Betula, Alnus, Pinus) and significantly lower participation of Picea pollen and one of deciduous trees then the proportions of these species in the surrounding vegetation. Steppe vegetation is determined by higher share of non- arboreal pollen and specific floristic composition. The comparison between geographical range of tree species and maps showing distribution of their pollen show a possibility a long distance transfer of Carpinus and Fagus pollen while pollen of Quercus and Tilia occurred close to their modern geographical ranges

A survey of the testate amoeba genus Difflugia Leclerc, 1815 based on specimens in the E. Penard and C.G. Ogden collections of the Natural History Museum, London. Part 3: Species with shells that are spherical or ovoid

© 2015 The Author(s). Protistology © 2015 Protozoological Society Affiliated with RAS. All articles published by Protistology are permanently accessible online immediately upon publication, without subscription charges or registration barriers. The attached file is the published version of the article

Two New Species of Testate Amoebae from Mountain Forest Soils of Japan and Redescription of the Genus Deharvengia Bonnet, 1979

Two new species of Deharvengia and Assulina are described from samples in the mountain forests of Honshu Is. (Japan). Morphometric analysis showed low variability of their morphological characteristics with coefficients of variation ranging between 1.4 and 9.1% for the two new species. An amended description of the genus Deharvengia is provide

Evolutionary relationships and taxonomy of Microtea (Microteaceae), a basal lineage in the core Caryophyllales

Non peer reviewe

Diversity and community ecology of forest epiphyte testate amoebae from European Russia

Testate amoebae are an abundant group of microorganisms which make a significant contribution to the diversity of protist life. Most of the world's potential habitats for testate amoebae have been barely studied and when such places are investigated they frequently reveal novel communities and species. Here we consider the testate amoeba communities associated with boreal forest epiphytes (mosses and lichens); an environment which we argue has been under-researched. We present a dataset of 165 samples from four regions of western Russia and analyse these data in relation to micro-habitat position and selected environmental data. The testate amoebae of epiphytes are abundant but dominated by ubiquitous species. We show that there are trends toward a lower species richness and test concentration with greater elevation on the trunk and in lichens compared to mosses. There are considerable differences in community composition between sampling regions. Of all measured environmental variables only moisture content showed a significant relationship with testate amoeba community structure. Our data highlight how little is known about testate amoeba communities of this habitat and call for greater research efforts, particularly in less-studied regions and biomes

Morphology of some Loricate Heterotrophic Species of Flagellate (Choanomonada, Bicosoecida, Jakobida), with Emphasis on Taxonomical Problems of Asexual Protist Species

Morphology of the some loricate heterotrophic flagellate species in the natural and clonal populations are investigated. Differential diagnoses and descriptions of species are provided. Some taxonomic problems of loricate heterotrophic flagellates and protists identification are discussed. A new replacement name Salpingoeca skujae Tikhonenkov et Mazey, nom. n. for Salpingoeca urnula Skuja, 1948, nom. praeocc., non Salpingoeca urnula Korshikov, 1926 is proposed.В природных популяциях и клональных культурах исследована морфология некоторых видов гетеротрофных флагеллят, имеющих домики. Приведены дифференциальные диагнозы и описания видов. Обсуждаются некоторые таксономические проблемы идентификации домиковых гетеротрофных жгутиконосцев и других протистов. Представлено новое замещающее название Salpingoeca skujae Tikhonenkov et Mazey, nom. n. для Salpingoeca urnula Skuja, 1948, nom. praeocc., non Salpingoeca urnula Korshikov, 1926