INTRODUCTION

-There are two main distinct groups of conidial fungi in freshwater habitats
Ingoldian and aeroaquatic.
- biology of two groups is different.
1- Ingoldian fungi
- abound in babbling brooks and well-aerated lakes,
- growing on leaves and twigs
- and forming conidia which are released in water and are readily trapped in foam.
2- Aeroaquatic fungi
- are more usually found in stagnant ponds, ditches, or slow-running streams
- and are capable of vegetative growth on submerged leaves or woody substrates.
- They sporulate only when substrate is exposed to air
-->when they form buoyant propagules capable of dispersal
--> when the substrate is again submerged.
- In addition to these two main groups
-->there are numerous common conidial fungi on reed swamp vegetation
-->and some which grow on submerged shoots of aquatic macrophytes
--> such as Phragmites, Carex, and Schoenoplectus.
- These hosts provide substrates for many pycnidial fungi
INGOLDIAN CONIDIAL FUNGI
- Ingold initiated the systematic study of Ingoldian conidial fungi
- and he has produced an illustrated guide to the common species
- Over 150 species are now known
-->but more await description. .
- the group has been known as aquatic hyphomycetes
-->but they are not exclusively aquatic
--> and an increasing number have been shown to be anamorphs (asexual state of fungi) of
diverse genera of ascomycetes and basidiomycetes.
- Some of teleomorphs(sexual state of a fungus) fruit on twigs or branches out of water
-->and it may be more suitable to call some of them amphibious fungi (Able to liveboth on
land and in water)
- In many cases the conidia are large ( more than 50 pm).
-Two shapes predominate:
-->branched and commonly tetraradiate (see Figs. 1-9)
--> or sigmoid (Figs. 3 and 4).
--> Spores of other shapes are also found.

a.Techniques for Study

1.Fungi on Leaves
*ideal place to study of Ingoldian fungi.
-rapidly flowing
-nonpolluted stream overhung by deciduous trees
*About 10 days after falling into a stream
-in temperate climates
leaves of deciduous trees such as Alnus, Quercus, Acer, Salix, and Betula
are well colonized by these fungi.
*Collect leaves in a bag
-and after rinsing them
-incubate them singly in petri dishes containing water .
-The incubation temperature should be low (10-15C )
-It is mistake to attempt to incubate several leaves in one dish
because sporulation is inhibited
and heavy bacterial contamination may prevent successful isolation into pure culture.
*Conidia develop within 1-2 days
-and conidiophores can be seen by microscope
*Detached conidia
-may also be seen floating in the water
or lying on the bottom of the dish .
*development of conidium is an important taxonomy
2.Culture Techniques
-isolation of most species and growth in pure culture is not difficulty .
*Conidia can be picked up by hand under microscope
- using a fine capillary pipette a mounted needle, or a hair
-and streaked onto low-nutrient media (e.g., 0.1% malt extract agar )
-incorporating antibiotic.
*incubate at 10-15C
-Transfers to common laboratory media such as 2% malt extract agar
for sporulation
*After incubation for 10-15 days at 15-20C
-cultures are ready to sporulate.
-While some species such as Heliscus lugdunensis can sporulate on dry agar
most do only if culture strips are placed in water .
*Forced aeration in water
which simulates turbulence of natural habitat

-can stimulate sporulation

*long incubation of cultures at moderately low temperatures (10-12C)
-under conditions where evaporation loss is minimized
can induce formation of teleomorphs, e.g., apothecia, perithecia, or pseudothecia
*Illumination of cultures with near-ultraviolet light
can enhance the formation of teleomorphs .
*alternative approach in relating teleomorphs and anamorphs
-is to make isolations from ascospores or basidiospores
collected on branches near water courses
and to induce conidial development in aerated suspensions.
3.Spores in Foam
*Foam which collects around small barriers
-or in backwaters near turbulent runs in many streams
provides a very effective trap for the conidia of Ingoldian fungi.
*Experimental estimates of spore loss from aerated suspensions and
comparisons of spore concentrations in river foam and river water
-show that the tetraradiate type of propagule is easily removed from suspension than the
sigmoid type .
*so foam includes a sample of spores biased in favor of branched types.
*In forms such as Varicosporium elodeae
-in which conidial morphology can be affected by cahnge of culture conditions
-it has been found that spores with more complex branching
are removed from suspension more easily than simpler spores
*to preserve foam samples by using a fixative such as Formalin-acetic alcohol .
*Spores may remain suspended in foam without germinating for at least 1 month at 13C,
retaining a high percentage of viabiLity .
*to make isolations from spores in foam using techniques similar to those outlined above .
*Spores can be carried in foam in Thermos flask or in a jar surrounded by an ice pack
-so that isolations can be made several hours after collection.
*it;s possible to smear foam over agar plate containing antibiotic
-to prevent contamination.

Filtration Methods for Estimating Spore Concentrations in Streams

*Since the spores of many Ingoldian fungi are so characteristic
-it is possible to estimate their concentration when water samples are filtered.
*Millipore filters of 8 Mm pore size are effective because quick filtration is possible.
*In rivers with a high spore concentration a 250-ml sample is enough and gives good
replication.
*In less productive streams
-it may be necessary to filter as much as 5 liters of water to obtain reasonable spore counts.
*Millipore filters can be fixed and stained in the field by addition of a few drops of cotton
blue in lactic acid
-The Classification of Ingoldian Fungi
*classification of aquatic Hyphomycetes
-is based on anamorph genera
-which include species having spores with similar morphology and development.
*However, studies connecting anamorphs to teleomorphs have confirmed that many of the
anamorph-genera are heterogeneous
-i.e., include taxa of diverse relationships (Table II.)
*number of described Ingoldian fungi is increasing at a rapid rate
-and many more await isolation, especially in the tropics.
*It seems more sensible to discuss various important aspects of this group which may be
used in their identification and classification.
*A list of described species (Table 1)
- and illustrations of representative aquatic species of all anamorphgenera