FILAMENTOUS FUNGI ISOLATED FROM LEAVES IN DECOMPOSITION IN THE GUARAPIRANGA RESERVOIR, SÃO PAULO, SP

Abstract

In this study, the mycota diversity of decomposing leaves was surveyed from seven bimonthly collections (August/1997 to ugust/1998) in the terrestrial and aquatic environments in six collection stations along the borders of the Guarapiranga reservoir, in São Paulo, SP. The fungi isolation was carried out using the leaf disk washing technique, followed by plating on culture media (Potato dextrose agar). Macro and micronutrients were determined in the remaining aliquots of the leaves, and during the collections, parameters such as pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen (OD) and water temperature were also determined. The fungi associated with the decomposing leaves of the terrestrial (46 taxa) and aquatic (54 taxa) environments presented high similarity (68%) between them. The mycota included cosmopolite fungi groups, with predominance of Penicillium, Fusarium, Trichoderma and Pestalotiopsis species. The possible influence of climatic factors was different in the two environments. Three antropic effects on the leaf nutrient content were observed, as well as on the fungi diversity and quantity: the dumping of organic pollutants, copper sulfate application in the water, and the vegetation modification of the reservoir.