ESTUDOS DA BIODIVERSIDADE DE AMEBAS TESTÁCEAS PARA ESTRATÉGIAS VOLTADAS À PRESERVAÇÃO: UMA REVISÃO

Floodplains are ecosystems with a great variety of water environments. They are characterized by great functional and structural complexity and high diversity of organisms. Testate amoebae, a polyphyletic group of free protozoa, are underscored among organisms in floodplains. Testate amoebae have several advantages within environmental studies due to a series of interesting characteristics in ecological investigations, such as high tolerance to changes in environmental conditions and short life cycle, which permit investigations on demographic processes at space and temporal scales. They are also sensitive within the functioning of the entire ecosystem. Current research reviews the biodiversity of testate amoebae in floodplains with special reference to the contribution of the group for strategies linked to environmental protection and design of conservational priority areas.