Ecological studies of some aquatic phycomycetes. II. Fungi in relation to chemical factors of the water

Abstract

1. An attempt has been made to correlate the distribution of fungi in a group of small ponds and a lake, with the principal chemical factors of their water and other variables of the year. 2. The maximum production of fungi takes place during the months of August to March, after which they decrease. 3. Fungal production is favoured by a fall in temperature, accompanied by an increase of nutrients and dissolved oxygen content. 4. There appears to be some correlation between phytoplankton and the fungi. 5. Of all the factors investigated, pH, ammonia, nitrate, chloride and dissolved oxygen were found to be most significant in controlling fungal periodicity.