Vertical patterns of testate amoebae (Protozoa: Rhizopoda) and peat-forming vegetation on cutover bogs in the Jura, Switzerland

The spatial and temporal processes of secondary vegetation development on abandoned cutover bog surfaces in the Jura region of northwest Switzerland have been examined. Descriptions of post-abandonment development of peatland based on the vegetation composition of replacement series from previous studies of vegetation ecology have been confirmed by analysis of testate amoebae (Protozoa) in vertical sequences of secondary peat underlying the most advanced vegetation communities in the series. Recovery of bog habitats to conditions similar to those before cutting was rapid. Testate amoebae show this recovery occurred through several different developmental series, all of which led to a common convergence regardless of the initial condition of the old cutover surface. Cutover bogs can be fully restored and testate amoebae are a sensitive new means of monitoring habitat changes in bogs.