Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
required to revitalize it so that the studies in this branch of mycology may go
on to regain its proper place. Taxonomy, ecology, physiology, biochemistry
and fi sh mycopathology have been done in this fi eld but have been restricted
to a few working groups and limited centres of study. Majority of the
researches in this fi eld have been focused on taxonomic studies and molecu-
lar characterization only followed by the studies on fi sh mycopathology. The
studies on ecology, physiology and biochemistry of this group of pseudo-
fungi are very meagre; however, early initial studies done on all these aspects
may pave way for more advanced studies in the future. Further, the ecologi-
cal data obtained and hypothesis given from one geographical region need
to be confi rmed from other different geographical areas. The detailed studies
in physiology and biochemistry of these members should be done to under-
stand clearly the metabolic phenomenon therein. Therefore, this particular
branch has enormous possibilities of investigations in the future.
Keywords
Oömycetology ￿ Watermoulds ￿ Taxonomy ￿ Ecology ￿ Fish-mycopathology
￿ Physiology ￿ Biochemistry
Introduction
under the generic name Conferva , which included,
in its Linnaean application, the fi lamentous aquatic
plants generally. The earliest binomials appear to
be those of Flora Danica ( 1780 ), Byssus aquat-
ica , and of Schränk ( 1789 ), Conferva piscium .
Previous workers had observed these fungi on
fl ies in water, but as the name indicates, Schränk's
observation was the fi rst record of their occur-
rence on fi shes. The earliest fi gures of these fungi
are those of Flora Danica ( 1780 ), of Dillwyn
( 1809 ) and of Lyngbye ( 1819 ). Gruithuisen ( 1821 )
described a fungus on the remains of a dead snail
and for the fi rst time fi gured the escaping zoo-
spores. Carus ( 1823 ) described a fungus on
Salamander larvae with spores collected in the
form of a globe at the mouth of a sporangium and
called it Hydronema . In an appendix to Carus's
paper, Nees von Esenbeck ( 1823 ) established the
genera Saprolegnia (Gruithuisen's fungus) and
Achlya (Carus's fungus) on the distinctive differ-
ence in the escape of the zoospores, which we
recognize as their salient features even today. This
early report, however, seemingly did not initiate
more than sporadic interest in these genera until
after 1850, when de Bary substantiated Nees' cir-
cumscription. Kützing ( 1843 ) created the family
name Saprolegniaceae , which was, later, defi ned
Since the inception of the studies on mycology,
the investigations on higher fungi have, undoubt-
edly, moved forward at a constant pace and are
touching new heights. However, the graph of sci-
entifi c explorations and advanced studies in the
fi eld of water moulds is continuously going down
as far as the Indian scenario is concerned and has
arrived at the verge of extinction. Therefore, a
special attention is required to revitalize it so that
the studies in this branch of mycology may go on
to regain its proper place (Prabhuji 2005 ).
Water harbours a vast majority of microorgan-
isms, especially in embankment areas of fresh-
water ponds and rivers. Water moulds, particularly
the aquatic phycomycetes, form part of the rich
aquatic fungal fl ora of ponds and rivers and the
soils of nearby areas. Among aquatic phycomycetes
the members of family Saprolegniaceae are of
special interest because of their facultative para-
sitic nature, i.e., they are saprophytes as well as
parasites of fi shes under certain set of conditions.
The fi rst references to any of the Saprolegniaceae
appear to have been those of Ledermüeller
( 1760 ), of Wrisberg ( 1765 ) and of Spallanzani
( 1777 ). For a long time they were regarded as
 
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