| Sumario: |
In lotic and lentic systems, fungal activity is very significant, because they are a primary
bridge in the energy transfer in the trophic chain, they are the links of the fundamental
food chain in the recycling of nutrients and in the regulation of the aquatic ecosystem.
here where we find the aquatic Hyphomycetes which are a group of microscopic imperfect
fungi.
From the ecological and biotechnological point of view, they are of great importance due
to the enzymatic battery they possess, on the tissues of the leaves due to the degradation
of the polymers of plant cells such as cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin and probably
lignin, producing amylases, cellulases, pectinases, proteases, pyrocatenal oxidases,
triacyl glycerol lipases and xylanases, which facilitates the palatability of the leaf so that
other organisms feed on it. In addition, some of these fungi are capable of degrading
animal parts, such as the exoskeleton of insects, mammalian hairs and fish scales.
With a high bioremediation and industrial value, the metabolic products could be massified
through biotechnological techniques and directed to industrial uses in waste
decomposition management, as well as, in the acceleration of the treatment of raw
material of plant origin, among others. These fungi are mostly found in streams of clear,
clean water with good aeration, although some have adapted to waters with certain levels
of contamination, highlighting that high rate of diversity of these fungi are related to good
water quality, due to good physicochemical and microbiological conditions in these
ecosystems.
Knowledge of Hyphomycetes and its diversity index is of great value in determining water
quality. Aquatic Hyphomycetes were collected from submerged litter and foam from the
Río Palo Alto, in areas with moderate current. 65 species of Hyphomycetes distributed in
32 genera were identified. This distribution according to the basin level was 22 genera in
the upper basin, 27 genera in the middle and 20 genera in the lower one. The result of the
Shannon-Wiener diversity index was 2.90, this indicates that there is a high diversity. And
37 new species were reported for Panamá.
This micro-basin of the Palo Alto River is considered as a little altered natural system.
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