Inter‐ and intraspecific variation within the morphologically‐similar arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Glomus mosseae and Glomus coronatum

Abstract

This collaborative investigation was aimed at using morphological and molecular characters to study inter-and intraspecific variation within isolates of Glomus mosseae and Glomus coronatum from different parts of the world, A secondary aim was to assess whether any divergence found was genetically based and/or correlated with the biogeographic origin of isolates. Morphological evaluations of various possible taxonomic characters including spore colour, size, sporocarp architecture and hyphal attachment morphology, showed that only spore colour couid discriminate the two groups, Isozyme analysis of malate dehydrogenase and esterase loci clearly confirmed this grouping of the two species complexes, SDS profiles and cluster analysis showed the same separation on a selection of isolates from the two groups, A comparison of a representative isolate from the G, coronatum group (BEG 49) wrth other arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi using G, mo^^eae-specific primers also provided evidence for separation of the two species complexes. The data and methodology employed provide a blueprint for future multimodal and niultidisciplinary approaches to the unravelling of taxonomic problems within this ancient group of symbiotic fungi.

Twenty years of research on community composition and species distribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in China: a review

“…A prerequisite to any study of population structure and diversity is the clarification of the species concept for AMF (Dodd et al 1996). Based on the lack of sexual reproduction in AMF, it has been suggested that applying the species concept could be difficult and that it would be more appropriate to base the description of biodiversity on genetic diversity (Sanders et al 1996).…”

Characterization of the host genotype and fungal diversity in Scots pine ectomycorrhiza from natural humus microcosms using isozyme and PCR‐RFLP analyses

“…Recently, a combined morphological, isozyme and PCR-ITS/ RFLP and -RAPD analysis of two Glomus spp. (Dodd et al, 1996) has highlighted the benefits of integrating methods in diversity studies of mycorrhizal fungi. Similar molecular techniques including isozyme, RAPD and RFLP or sequence analysis of rDNA and/or cpDNA have been employed in plant systematics and population biology (e.g.…”

Molecular analysis of Gigaspora (Glomales, Gigasporaceae)

“…The taxonomy of these obligatory biotrophic fungi has relied principally on the morphological characteristics of the resting spores and spore-wall characteristics leading to the currently described six genera and at least 150 species (Morton & Benny, 1990 ;Walker & Trappe, 1993). More recently, molecularbased alternatives have been presented by different authors, including isozyme patterns (Hepper et al, 1988 ;Rosendahl, Dodd & Walker, 1994 ;Dodd et al, 1996), fatty acids (Bentivenga & Morton, 1996), and 18S fungal ribosomal genes (SSU) (Simon, Lalonde & Bruns, 1992 ;Simon, Le! vesque & Lalonde, 1993 b ;Wyss & Bonfante, 1993 ;van Tuinen et al, 1994 ;Clapp et al, 1995 ;Di Bonito, Elliott & Desjardin, 1995 ;Lanfranco et al, 1995 ;Sanders et al, 1995 ;Simon, 1996 ;Redecker et al, 1997).…”