Abstract

The succession of fungi associated with the decomposing leaf litter of Eucalyptus tereticornis was studied for a period of 18 months using the dilution plate method. The primary saprophytes of the litter included Penicillia, Aspergilli, Chaetomella circinoseta, C. raphigera, Coniella sp., Curvularia lunata and Tritirachium sp. The secondary saprophytes comprised of several genera of fungi imperfecti, Chaetomium sp. and sterile forms. Members of Zygomycetes were prevalent only on highly decomposed litter. The species isolated and the pattern of succession of fungi on E. tereticornis litter were comparable to those on other eucalypts reported from India and elsewhere. In general, the succession of fungi on eucalypt litter agreed well with the general scheme of fungal succession on plant litters proposed by Hudson