Testate amoeba data from Lakkasuo peatland water level drawdown experiment

We investigated the impacts of persistent drying and associated changes in peatland ecosystems to testate amoeba taxonomic composition and functional traits. We collected testate amoebae samples (top 3 cm of dominant mosses) from a water level drawdown experiment situated in Lakkasuo peatland, Finland in 2022. The experiment has been ongoing since 2001-2002 and it has caused vegetation succession mediated by site fertility: the poorest site, ombrotrophic bog, has changed only little, while the richest (mesotrophic fen) and intermediate (oligotrophic fen) have grown tree stands. Testate amoebae were identified, and test width, test length, and aperture size were measured using a light microscope. Categorical traits (test material, test compression, mixotrophy, aperture position) were converted to binary format, assigning a value of 1 if a taxon exhibited the trait and 0 if it did not. Community-weighted mean was calculated for each trait in each plot by quantifying the mean trait value of the taxon present in the community, weighted by their relative abundance.