Seasonal variability in abundance and diversity of soil gymnamoebae along a short transect in southeastern USA

The abundance and diversity of gymnamoebae in three subsoils varying in com paction and water retention along a 1.2 m transect were documented as the l ocal climatic conditions changed from late summer 1999 through mid-summer 2 000. The mean density of gymnamoebae for the loose soil (1,655/g) was great er than either the most compact 11,468/g) or moderately compact soil (851/g ). Minimum densities occurred in middle and late summer for all soils while significant (F = 38.803. less than or equal to 0.0002) density peaks at 3. 212/g occurred in early summer in the must compact soil, 2.928/g in the lea st compact. and 2,209/g in the moderately compact soil. Limax non-eruptive gymnamoebae (mt 2) correlated (r = 0.49, p less than or equal to 0.016) wit h moisture while eruptive limax gymnamoebae ( nt 3) correlated with tempera ture (r = 0.07, p less than or equal to 0.024), moisture (r = 0.58, p less than or equal to 0.001) and precipitation (r = 0.46. p less than or equal t o 0.029). Flattened or discoid amoebae (mt 4) dominated throughout most of the survey, and the two limax groups showed inverse relationships. Chi-squa re analyses showed significant differences in the numbers of limax eruptive gymnamoebae compared to all other morphotypes on all but one sampling peri od.