Aquatic fungi in relation to the physical and chemical parameters of water quality in the Augustów Canal

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of physical and chemical water quality parameters in the Augustów Canal on the abundance and taxonomic diversity of aquatic fungi. The studies were conducted in the hydrological year 2012 along the environmentally valuable area of the Augustów Canal. The mean abundance of fungi was 2 160 ± 1840 CFU ml−1. The lowest abundances were observed in the uppermost part of the canal, and the highest abundances in the southern part. A total of 38 species were identified, including 13 potentially pathogenic fungi, which predominated in the central region of the canal, called the natural lake part. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that variation in water chemistry caused significant changes to fungal species diversity. The results showed that fungal species diversity and abundance in the canal were particularly dependent on the extent of water pollution, as indicated by chloride and sulphate(VI) ions and electrolytic conductivity. Other water quality parameters that influenced the development of aquatic fungi were organic matter and algal biomass, responsible for water eutrophication. We propose that mycoplankton be considered a sensitive biological indicator of water quality.