Biodiversity of freshwater fungi

Abstract

There are more than 600 species of freshwater fungi with more known from temperate, as compared to tropical regions. These include ca 340 ascomycetes, 300 deuteromycetes, and a number of lower fungi which are not discussed here. Aniptodera, Annulatascus, Massarina, Ophioceras and Pseudohalonectria are common freshwater ascomycetes, which appear to be well adapted for this lifestyle either in their ascospore types or their competitive-degradative characters. The most common genera of wood-inhabiting deuteromycetes include Cancellidium, Dactylaria, Dictyosporium and Helicomyces. They are categorized into four groups depending on their form and life style: the Ingoldian hyphomycetes; the aero-aquatic hyphomycetes; the terrestrial-aquatic hyphomycetes; and the submerged-aquatic hyphomycetes. The adaptations of aquatic fungi for their dispersal and subsequent attachment to new substrates are discussed. © 1996 Society for Industrial Microbiology.