Testate amoebae - past present and future

Records of the testate amoeba fauna of soils have accumulated throughout the 20th century from numerous sites on all the Earth's continents, ranging from equatorial to polar, with analyses of species assemblages in relation to environmental conditions – especially hydrological. Testates have considerable potential to be used as indicators of environmental change and to give insight into the processes of microbial biogeography and speciation. Small ubiquitous species may have an essential role in the biological succcession as soils develop from mineral substrates. Present knowledge suggests that future research in these areas will be of high value