Fungi in Aquatic Habitats

[Chris Yeates]

hello all

perhaps I need to get back to a bit of left-field mycology after an agaric post!

This is yet another of the more unusual areas of mycology in which I am interested. In this thread I shall pull together links to previous posts which fit this category, and attempt to show not only how interesting and often how attractive these fungi are, but also to stress how important they are in aquatic environments. There are for instance over 1500 species of marine fungi (and that doesn't include the many coastal lichenised species).

To kick things off a common resupinate fungus; it occurs in sites which are inundated for at least part of the year. Here it was on a decorticated branch in a dry stream bed in ancient woodland in South Yorkshire - the trick is to look on the damp undersurface of rotting wood:




A key feature is those things that look like tiny polystyrene balls; they are propagules of the asexual Aegerita state, by which the fungus can spread itself when immersed by water. The pale grey areas are the spore-producing state - this forming air-distributed spores on basidia. The presence of the Aegerita state makes identification in the field fairly easy - without them identification would be much trickier . . . .

There are many other, less well-known fungi of this and other aquatic habitats. Watch this space . . . .

cheers

Chris

[Chris Yeates]

This is a key link previous WAB posts on the Ingoldian Fungi, many of which have sexual stages which are being found to be inoperculate discomycetes.

Ascomycetes in rivulets below water level especially here: Ascomycetes in rivulets below water level

The linking together of anamorphic and teleomorphic fungi is being made a lot more straightforward by molecular DNA work.

Chris

[stickman]

Hi Chris,

Just a quick question - Do you use a 'fixative' when collecting aquatic fungi from foam?

I ask because whenever I have tried, many of the spores seem to have germinated/ collapsed where they have hit the side of the container, rendering many of them unidentifiable (I live a fair walk away from the nearest stream!)

If so what do you use and where do you get it from?

Cheers, Nick.

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by stickman

Hi Chris,

Just a quick question - Do you use a 'fixative' when collecting aquatic fungi from foam?

I ask because whenever I have tried, many of the spores seem to have germinated/ collapsed where they have hit the side of the container, rendering many of them unidentifiable (I live a fair walk away from the nearest stream!)

If so what do you use and where do you get it from?

Cheers, Nick.

Hi Nick

yes you do - while in the foam the spores don't germinate, once they touch something solid they do - twig, leaf, the side of your container . . .

see the second of the links in my previous post

Brunel Micro sell it Solvents - one bottle will last a very long time - you only need a few drops for each sample; one problem is access to the literature, but I have some very useful notes and stuff people have given me in the past which I can let you have copies of if you're interested . . .

cheers

Chris

[stickman]

Thanks Chris,

Aaargh, I thought you'd linked to the same thread twice there so I didn't bother clicking on the second one!

FAA ordered. I have 'Guide to Aquatic Hyphomycetes', Ingold, which was quite tricky to track down at a realistic price. Thanks for the kind offer - I would love some further info.

In fact I'm not sure I can wait until leaf-fall - Have you had much luck with aquatic fungi this time of year?

Cheers, Nick.