Aquatic Hyphomycete Species Are Screened by the Hyporheic Zone of Woodland Streams

• DOI: 10.1128/aem.03024-13
• Publication Date: 2014-01-18T03:29:04Z
• Authors: Julien Cornut; Eric Chauvet; Florian Mermillod...; Fiona Assemat; Arnaud Elger
• Keywords: Microcosm; Hyphomycetes; Hyporheic Zone; Plant litter

Aquatic hyphomycetes strongly contribute to organic matter dynamics in streams, but their abilities colonize leaf litter buried streambed sediments remain unexplored. Here, we conducted field and laboratory experiments (slow-filtration columns stream-simulating microcosms) test the following hypotheses: (i) that hyporheic habitat acting as a physical sieve for spores filters out unsuccessful strategists from potential species pool, (ii) decreased pore size reduces dispersal efficiency interstitial water, (iii) physicochemical conditions prevailing will influence fungal community structure. Our study showed spore abundance diversity were consistently reduced water compared with surface within three differing streams. Significant differences occurred among aquatic hyphomycetes, of filiform-spore being much higher than those compact or branched/tetraradiate spores. This pattern was remarkably consistent found tested sediment on microcosms. Furthermore, leaves inoculated stream incubated slow-filtration exhibited assemblage dominated by only two species, while five codominant Results this highlight zone exerts types selection pressure hyphomycete community, physiological stress screening benthic both leading drastic changes structure community.