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Protostelids and myxomycetes isolated from aquatic habitats

     Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701

Protostelids and myxomycetes have been isolated from dead plant parts in many different habitats, including tropical rain forests and deserts. However underwater habitats largely have been overlooked. The purpose of this study was to determine whether protostelids do occur in aquatic habitats and to survey the myxomycetes associated with these habitats. Protostelids and myxomycetes were isolated from substrates collected from just above and just below the surface of the water. Several species of both groups were present, and their distributions above and below the water were different. It is not surprising that the trophic cells of slime molds occur in ponds because they are known to grow in films of water. However these findings are significant because this is the first study to demonstrate clearly the occurrence of protostelids in underwater environments and one of the few surveys of myxomycetes from aquatic systems.

Key words: Eumycetozoa, freshwater, fruiting amoebae, Mycetozoa, ponds, streams