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The need for type specimens is clearly stated in the Botanical Code and rules of nomenclature. Such specimens for glomalean fungi consist primarily of single cells (asexual spores) with a thick wall and sometimes one more more flexible inner components. These spores often change their appearance and internal structure as a result of degradation in the normal process of senescence after death or because of preservative-induced morphological changes over time. Many spore type specimens also do not reflect morphology of healthy spores because they were collected from field soils and were either in poor condition or parasitized. We have found the types to be most useful when they are compared against healthy specimens obtained from a living culture (reference cultures below). Side-by-side, both sources of specimens can be compared to establish definitive correspondence with a combination of as many diagnostic characters as possible.
Establishing
species identity (named or unnamed) for the 1000+ accessions in INVAM is formidable
with the current state of glomalean taxonomy. To obtain a stable taxonomic organization
of these accessions, spores of a new accession are compared to those of all
other morphotypes in the collection using the following protocol:
REFERENCE CULTURES
OF SPECIES IN THE COLLECTION:
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