Assemblage of aquatic hyphomycetes and their colonization of leaf litter in a tropical lateritic cave stream

Nekkarekadu Ramya, Kodandoor Sharathchandra, Kandikere Ramaiah Sridhar*

Affiliation
Department of Biosciences, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri, Mangalore, Karnataka, India

*Correspondence: [email protected]

Abstract
Investigations on occurrence of aquatic hyphomycetes in lateritic cave streams in India are meager. This study examined the assemblage, diversity and leaf litter colonization of aquatic hyphomycetes in a cave stream in southwest India. Physicochemical features of water samples, the occurrence of conidia in water, foam, colonization of aquatic hyphomycetes in naturally submerged leaf litter and introduced sterile leaf discs (banyan and cashew) were assessed during the post-monsoon season. Naturally submerged leaves were found to possess the highest species richness compared to water, foam and introduced leaf discs. The Shannon diversity was also the highest in naturally submerged leaf litter than other samples. Among the five samples assessed, three aquatic hyphomycetes, Anguillospora longissima, Flagellospora curvula and Lunulospora curvula were common in the top five species. Helicomyces collegatus, Lunulospora cymbiformis, Phalangispora bharathensis, Synnematophora constricta, Tetracladium marchalianum and Trisulcosporium acerinum are new records for southwest India. This study provides valuable insights on the occurrence and capability of colonization of leaf litter by aquatic hyphomycetes in artificial cave streams.

*Citation
Ramya N, Sharathchandra K, Sridhar KR (2024) Assemblage of aquatic hyphomycetes and their colonization of leaf litter in a tropical lateritic cave stream. MycoAsia 2024/05.

Submission History
Received: 28.06.2024
Accepted: 26.10.2024
Published: 12.11.2024

Editorial Team
Handling Editor: Dr. Belle Damodara Shenoy
Reviewers: Dr. Aditi Pandit, Dr. Huzefa Raja, Dr. V. Venkateswara Sarma