Ecology of the soil mycoflora in the desert of Kuwait

The present paper reports on a quantitative ecological investigation of the hitherto unknown soil mycoflora of the desert of Kuwait. Three macrophytic communities are recognised, chiefly on the basis of the dominant plants, and the mycoflora of the top soils isolated. The three communities are that...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of arid environments 1982-01, Vol.5 (2), p.109-125
Main Authors: Halwagy, R., Moustafa, A.F., Kamel, Susan M.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The present paper reports on a quantitative ecological investigation of the hitherto unknown soil mycoflora of the desert of Kuwait. Three macrophytic communities are recognised, chiefly on the basis of the dominant plants, and the mycoflora of the top soils isolated. The three communities are that of Cyperus conglomeratus, that of Rhanterium epapposum and that of Hammada salicornica. A total of 59 fungal genera and 130 species is isolated. The community of Hammada shows the narrowest spectrum (35 genera and 81 species) while that of Rhanterium exhibits the widest spectrum (45 genera and 101 species). Total counts range from 9911 to 15,345 colonies/g oven-dry soil, with no difference between the communities. The most frequent genera are Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Stachybotrys, Myrothecium, Vlocladium, Phoma and Alternaria. The fungal flora in our desert is compared with those of other arid regions. The importance of melanin pigmentation and the coexistence of both adapted and non-adapted forms is discussed.
ISSN:0140-1963
1095-922X
DOI:10.1016/S0140-1963(18)31544-1