Composition of soil testate amoebae communities: their structure and modifications in the temperate rain forests of New Zealand and Tasmania.

A study of the temperate rain forests of New Zealand and Tasmania showed that their soil testate amoebae communities are composed of five groups of taxa: (1) seven taxa characteristic of wet acidic soils and Sphagnum peatlands (i.e., Amphitemidae, Apodera, Alcodera, Certesella, Cyphoderia, Placocista); (2) a group of 16 species of predatory Nebelids and Heleopera spp.

Density and diversity of protozoa in some arid Australian soils.

This is the first extensive study of soil protozoa of arid lands. Twenty-six samples from litters, soils, termitaria, and a cyanobacterial crust, collected from central and south Australian arid lands, were analyzed for numbers and species of gymnamoebae, ciliates, and testacea. Amoebae ranged from 1,000-5,000/g of material, and were two orders of magnitude more abundant than ciliates.