OATAO is an open access repository that collects the work of Toulouse researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible. This is an author-deposited version published in : http://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/ Eprints ID : 9662To link to this article : AbstractTo test the hypothesis that decomposition of leaf species in streams is influenced by afforestation with Eucalyptus globulus, we compared decay rates, nutrient levels, fungal biomass and macroinvertebrate assemblages on alder and eucalyptus leaf litter in three streams (two headwaters under different forests, and a mid reach) of the Agüera catchment (northern Spain).Whatever the reach, alder always decomposed significantly faster than eucalyptus. Litter contents in nitrogen and phosphorus rose during breakdown at the mid reach, but not at the headwaters. No differences in fungal biomass were found between alder and eucalyptus leaves at the headwater reaches; however, at the mid reach, eucalyptus showed the highest values.Alder litter, a high quality substratum, was readily colonized by shredders, and decayed rapidly at all sites. Eucalyptus, a low quality species, had lower nutrient contents and was less favoured by shredders. Under high nutrient levels (particularly phosphorus), however, it was readily colonized by fungi, thus shifting from medium to high breakdown rates. The potentially negative impact of afforestation with eucalyptus on streams can thus be reduced in situations of high concentrations of dissolved nutrients.

Aquatic hyphomycete assemblages on decomposing leaf litter of the exotic species Eucalyptus globulus Labill. were compared with those on the native riparian species Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. in three low-order streams of the Agüera watershed (Basque Country – Cantabria, Spain). These streams contrast by the importance of eucalypt in the riparian vegetation and by the nutrient contents in the water. Neither the total conidial production nor the number of fungal species differed between the two leaf species in any of the streams. Fungal colonization of eucalypt leaves appeared to be delayed by about 2 weeks, probably owing to their high content in inhibitory constituents. While Flagellospora curvula Ingold largely dominated pioneer assemblages on both leaf species, the second most important species, Lunulospora curvula Ingold, exhibited a preference for eucalypt. In the stream surrounded by eucalypt, the fungal diversity was surprisingly lower on eucalypt than on alder. In the stream with higher orthophosphate concentrations, the conidial production was similarly increased on both leaf species. The present data together with recent results from a similar investigation in Portugal suggest a minor impact of eucalypt on the activity and diversity of aquatic hyphomycete leaf-associated assemblages in southern European streams. Key words: aquatic hyphomycetes, eucalypt, alder, leaf litter, stream.

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Spatial and temporal changes in conidial concentration of species of aquatic hyphomycetes were studied in three southwestern French rivers (Adour, Nive, and Tech). The survey was conducted from source to mouth for a year by water filtration. Fifty-two species were identified. Alatospora acuminata and Clavariopsis aquatica were the most abundant species in all three rivers. Most other species made small contributions to the total amount of conidia, but species such as Heliscella stellata or Lemonniera aquatica occasionally may be important in a particular river. The timing of seasonal peaks of conidia concentration of some species was studied. Species were classified into three groups according to the similarity or differences among rivers. Peak conidial concentration could appear at the same season on the three rivers (e.g., Alatospora acuminata, Articulospora tetracladia, Heliscella stellata, Lemonniera aquatica, Lunulospora curvula) or in different seasons on the three rivers (e.g., Pyricularia submersa, Tetrachaetum elegans). No peak was found for Clavariopsis aquatica or Clavatospora longibrachiata on any river. Changes in conidial concentration along the three rivers were analysed. Patterns of individual species varied among rivers and seasons. During summer on the Tech River, conidial concentration of Heliscella stellata increased abruptly to the highest values of this study after having remained close to zero in the uppermost 20 km. This coincided with a drastic decrease in community diversity in these reaches. Both altitude and downstream distance influence conidial concentrations in a complex manner. Key words: Ingoldian fungi, conidia concentration, season, elevation.