Lignicolous freshwater meiosporic and mitosporic euascomycetes

This study sought to inventory the decomposer fungi present in aquatic habitats. The particular group of fungi are microscopic and classified in the class Euascomycetes. These fungi are important in aquatic habitats in breaking down complex plant structural materials such as leaves and wood. As a result of fungal activities, leaves and wood are enriched in nitrogen and made more digestible thereby making them a more nutritious food resource for stream invertebrates.

Submerged wood and leaf litter were collected from lotic habitats during July 2002 and January 2003. A total of sixty-seven meiosporic and mitosporic euascomycetes have been collected thus far. Cyanoannulus petersenii, a new genus of euascomycetes was collected during this inventory. Nine of the sixty-seven fungi reported during the inventory are new records for North America. Fifty-five of the sixty-seven meiosporic and mitosporic euascomycetes are new records for the Great Smoky National Park. Nine taxa were reported previously by Petersen (1978) in his compilation of the checklist of fungi from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.