Aquatic phycomycetes recovered from Aswan High Dam Lake [AHDL

Abstract

Twenty five identified and four unidentified species belonging to eleven genera of aquatic phycomycetes were recovered from one hundred and thirty surface water samples which were collected mainly from Aswan High Dam Lake (100 samples) in addition to few samples from Aswan reservoir (10 sample) and the main stream of the River Nile at Aswan (20 samples) during the period from January to June, 1992. The richest water samples in aquatic phycomycetes species were those characterized by relatively low temperatures (15.9 °C-20.3 °C) and pH ranged between 7.4 – 8.3. The poorest samples were characterized by relatively high temperature (20.6°C-33.1°C). pH values fluctuating between 6.3 and 9.2, dissolved oxygen varying from 4.5 to 10.6 mg/L, total soluble salts ranging from 149 to 303 mg/L and the organic matter content between 2.0 and 51.1 mg/L. Saprolegina and Pythium were the most frequent aquatic fungal genera recovered during this investigation whereas Aphanomyces, Dictyuchus, Pythiopsis, Leptomitus, Allomyces and Blastocladiopsis were less frequent.