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Testate amoebae and stable isotopes have been used as surface-moisture proxies in peatlands. However, adequate modern calibration is critical to successful application and interpretation. Testate amoebae, δ13C of Sphagnum, and environmental conditions were examined at 126 sites within 12 peatlands of south-central and central Alaska to assess the potential of testate amoebae and δ 13C as surface-moisture proxies. Results indicate that water-table depth and pH were both correlated with testate amoeba community composition. However, the relative importance of these two variables varied, with pH more important in wetter habitats and water-table depth more important in drier habitats. Cross-validation of transfer functions indicated that water-table depth and pH can be inferred from testate amoeba communities with mean errors of ~8 cm and ~0.4 pH units, respectively, an improvement over previous calibration work in the region. However, application of these transfer functions should consider potential temporal variability in the relative importance of pH and water-table depth, and we applied our calibration data set to a subfossil testate amoeba record to highlight how knowledge of changes in the relative importance of these environmental variables can inform interpretation. In contrast with testate amoebae, δ13C of Sphagnum was found to be a relatively weak indicator of water-table depth. Variable carbon sources for Sphagnum photosynthesis, such as CO2 released by methanotrophic bacteria, likely complicate the relationship between δ 13C and moisture. Although more work is needed before δ13C of Sphagnum can be used as a proxy for water-table depth, testate amoebae should be useful in paleoenvironmental studies of peatlands in Alaska.

How do low-income households and masons make house construction decisions? A three-country study examined social norms, networks, and information flows that influence construction practices in Kenya, India, and Peru. The study used a suite of qualitative research strategies, including desk research, site observation, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews, to examine households and informal construction service providers, and the interactions between them. The research sought to answer the following questions: 1) How do households and individuals make housing decisions? 2) What are the information flows, key influences, and social norms that steer these decisions? and 3) How can programmes leverage knowledge about norms to improve the quality of home construction? Findings covered areas of gender, disaster resilience, and construction labour – this article focuses on the latter. Ultimately the paper argues that designing impactful programmes for low-income housing markets requires understanding and incorporating these social norms, networks, and information flows.