A review of current testate rhizopod (thecamoebian) research in Canada

Thecamoebians are a diverse group of testate rhizopods present in a variety of lacustrine and terrestrial habitats. Among this group certain agglutinating forms, primarily arcellacea, have tests that are highly resistant to decay and thus fossilize well. Although the Canadian fossil record of thecamoebians extends back as far as the Carboniferous the group is particularly common in Quaternary lacustrine and peatland environments from temperate to Arctic regions of the country. ch on thecamoebians during the past few years has resulted in great progress on realizing the potential of this group as an important new class of paleoenvironmental indicator. Applied research on thecamoebian faunas in Canada has emphasized aspects of paleolimnology (e.g. eutrophication, pH, temperature, oxygen levels), monitoring of land use changes, monitoring effectiveness of remediation efforts in contaminated substrates, paleo-sea level reconstruction, paleo-water table assessment and paleoclimatic reconstruction.