Taxonomic identification of aquatic hyphomycetes in the upper Bogotá river basin (Colombia) from foam samples

Abstract

Based on the fact that hyphomycetes or ingoldian fungi are microorganisms present in aquatic environments such as rivers in which they are involved in the decomposition of organic material, returning energy to the higher levels of the trophic chain, but despite their importance, few studies have been conducted on their diversity and presence in these ecosystems, the objective of this work was to identify the hyphomycetes present in the upper Bogotá river basin. This was done by taking foam samples in the backwaters of the rivers, staining them with lactophenol blue and observing them with optical microscopy to identify the ingoldian fungi based on the morphology of their conidia with the use of taxonomic keys. A total of 10 genera and 10 species were identified, of which 4 genera and 7 species are new reports for the Colombian territory, which demonstrates the great diversity and lack of knowledge that we have of these microorganisms in our country. Keywords: conidia; identification; aquatic fungi; river