Colonization pattern of aquatic hyphomycetes on leaf packs in subtropical stream

Steralized leaf pieces of eight plants (Eucalyptus rostrata, Phoenix dactylifera, Phragmites australis, Musa nana, Salix subserrata, Cyperus alopecuroides, Ricinus communis and Eichhornia crassipes) were submerged in the Nile stream. Thirty-nine species of aquatic hyphomycetes were colonized on the plant leaves. Eucalyptus was the best substratum (30 species) for colonization by aquatic hyphomycetes. Phoenix (14 species), Phragmites (11 species), Salix (9 species), Musa (8 species), Ricinus and Cyperus (6 species) were also good substrata for aquatic hyphomycetes colonization. Echhornia (aquatic plant) was not suitable for aquatic hyphomycetes colonization. Alatospora acuminata, Triscelophorus monosporus and Tetracladium marchalianum were found to be the major colonizers on all leaf materials. Temperature and dissolved oxygen were the highest physico-chemical parameters affecting the aquatic hyphomycetes colonization. These results indicate that aquatic hyphomycetes have been shown to be successful colonizers on plants leaf in river Nile in Egypt as subtropical region.