Freshwater fungi in Lake Dianchi, a heavily polluted lake in Yunnan, China

Abstract

Freshwater fungi on submerged woody substrates and grasses were investigated in Lake Dianchi, a highly polluted lake in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. One hundred submerged woody substrates were collected from this lake every three months and examined for fungi to investigate seasonal variation. A total of 97 fungi were recorded, including 56 ascomycetes and 41 anamorphic fungi. The occurrence of these fungi was recorded and the Shannon-Weiner index (H′) was used to evaluate the fungal diversity. The results showed that the variation among the four seasonal collections were insignificant. The diversity indices (H′) at the four season collections varied from 3.155 to 3.681. The fungal community on woody substrates from Lake Dianchi is compared with that from Lake Fuxian during the same season and differences were apparent (similarity index = 0.337). The diversity was higher in Lake Fuxian (H′ = 3.808) than in Lake Dianchi (H′ = 3.368) and this may be related to riparian vegetation and pollution. The effects of pollution on freshwater fungal communities are discussed. One hundred submerged samples each of three monocotyledon species (Phragmites australis, Pennisetum purpurreum and a bamboo species) were collected from Lake Dianchi and examined for fungi. The communities on each grass species are compared and discussed in relation to host-specificity.