SEASONAL FLUCTUATIONS OF AQUATIC FUNGI RECOVERED FROM EGYPTIAN SOIL (DELTA REGION)

One hundred and eleven identified and seven unidentified species in ad dition to 5 varieties belonging to forty-three aquatic fungal genera w ere recovered from 452 soil samples collected randomly from different localities in Nile Delta and Suez canal regions including eleven gover norates. The investigated soil samples were collected seasonally durin g the period from autumn 1990 to summer 1991 (113 samples each season) . The richest season (85 identified and 5 unidentified species in addi tion to 2 varieties) in aquatic fungi was the winter season (10.0-15.5 degrees C) whereas the poorest (32 identified and 5 unidentified spec ies in addition to one variety) was summer (24.0-27.5 degrees C). The richest soil samples in aquatic fungi were those of low or moderate te mperature seasons, high contents of organic matter and considerably po or in total soluble salts. The pH value did not show any regular seaso nal variation and did not exhibit any considerable influence on fungal populations. Some aquatic fungal genera and species were disappeared completely in certain seasons and vice versa. The most dominant aquati c fungal genera were Pythium, Allomyces, aqualinderella and nowa-kowsk iella. The commonest aquatic fungal species were Allomyces anomalus, A qualinderella fermentans, Nowakowskiella elegans, Blastocladiopsis par va and Dictyuchus sterilis.