Osmoregulatory responses of fungi inhabiting standing litter of the freshwater emergent macrophyte Juncus effusus

• Published in: Applied and environmental microbiology Vol. 64; no. 2; pp. 607 - 612
• Main Authors: Kuehn, K.A, Churchill, P.F, Suberkropp, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01.02.1998
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; AQUATIC ORGANISMS; Biological and medical sciences; Cellular biology; CHAMPIGNON; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; FUNGI; General Microbial Ecology; HONGOS; JUNCUS; Microbial ecology; Microflora of plants; Organic chemistry; ORGANISME AQUATIQUE; ORGANISMOS ACUATICOS; OSMOREGULACION; OSMOREGULATION; Wetlands; Monocotyledones; Temperature; Litter; Trehalose; Vegetal microorganism relation; Osmoregulation; Environmental factor; Daily variation; Plant leaf; Water potential; Freshwater environment; Fungi; Juncaceae; Water regime; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Associated microflora; Aquatic plant; Polyol; Wetland; Thallophyta; Adaptation
• ISSN: 0099-2240; 1098-5336
• DOI: 10.1128/aem.64.2.607-612.1998

Standing litter of emergent macrophytes often forms a major portion of the detrital mass in wetland habitats. Microbial assemblages inhabiting this detritus must adapt physiologically to daily fluctuations in temperature and water availability. We examined the effects of various environmental conditions on the concentrations of osmoregulatory solutes (polyols and trehalose) and the respiratory activities of fungal assemblages inhabiting standing litter of the freshwater emergent macrophyte Juncus effusus. Under field conditions, the concentrations of osmolytes (polyols plus trehalose) in fungal decomposers were negatively correlated with plant litter water potentials (r = -0.75, P 0.001) and rates of microbial respiration (r