About this site
A reference site on the phylogeny and taxonomy of Glomeromycota, the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and related fungi.
Dear scientists, because this site has been kept on a free, private base during the last years, and because of recent very large changes in the systematics and taxonomy of AM fungi, we cannot keep this page up to date any more and will shut it down soon (until end of 2024). The data may be outdated from the formal point of view.
Who we are
This site was set up by a small group of scientists working on the systematics of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, the Glomeromycota. The names behind most of the papers cited here are Arthur Schüßler and Christopher Walker, working together with Herbert Stockinger, Dirk Redecker, Manuela Krüger, Claudia Krüger and other colleagues. Their shared aim has been to build a classification of these fungi that rests on evidence, on DNA sequence data and on the rules of the Botanical Code.
AM fungi live in close association with the roots of most land plants. They are among the most widespread fungal symbionts on Earth, yet they are hard to study because they cannot be grown without a host plant. For that reason, reliable names, reliable reference sequences and a stable classification matter a great deal to anyone who works with them in the field, in the greenhouse or in the laboratory.
Purpose of the site
The site was meant to be a working reference for researchers. It brings together the current taxonomy and systematics of AM fungi, a species list with identifiers based on DNA barcoding, a series of phylogenetic trees that show how the classification developed, and downloadable alignments from papers published by our group.
What you find here
Taxonomy
The recent systematics of AM fungi, our position on the placing of the group, and notes on which parts of nomenclature are governed by the Botanical Code.
Species list
Valid and some invalid species names, with EP numbers that identify species characterized by DNA barcoding of the LSU D2 region.
Phylogeny
Four trees showing the classification of the Glomeromycota in 2001, 2004, 2010 and 2013, with notes on the changes between them.
Downloads
Sequence alignments and a tree file from the papers of Krüger et al. (2012) and Walker et al. (2021).
A short history of the work
In 2001, Schwarzott, Walker and Schüßler showed that Glomus, then the largest genus of the group, was not monophyletic. Species placed in this one genus fell into several distant branches of the tree, which were later called Glomus Groups A, B and C. This result changed the way the whole order was understood.
In 2004, the families Pacisporaceae and Diversisporaceae were recognized within the Diversisporales, and species formerly called Glomus were moved to new genera. In 2010, Schüßler and Walker published a species list with new families and new genera, and the model fungus formerly called Glomus intraradices DAOM197198 became Rhizophagus irregularis. In 2012, Krüger and colleagues released phylogenetic reference data covering the group from phylum to species level. In 2013, Redecker and co-authors published an evidence-based consensus classification, and in 2021, Walker and colleagues anchored the species Rhizophagus intraradices.
Our approach to classification
We stick to the Botanical Code up to and including the rank of family, and we use Index Fungorum as a reference for names. Above family rank, priority does not apply, so there is freedom in the choice of names; we have used it carefully. We do not adopt the suggested placing of AMF in the Glomeromycotina, because we think the phylum level may eventually be resurrected, and because merging many basal lineages into a single phylum does not fit the way the Dikarya are classified.
We also do not follow what we call taxa inflation, the practice of some authors who create many new names and make their own rules about which ones to accept.
Why the site is closing
The site was kept on a free, private base for several years. Because the systematics of AM fungi has changed very quickly, and because some of these changes are hard to understand and to check, we are no longer able to keep every page up to date. We therefore planned to shut the site down by the end of 2024.
Please remember that everything shown here may be outdated from the formal point of view. Treat the pages as a record of how our group saw the classification at the time, and check newer literature before you use a name in a publication.
How to cite and use the data
If you use alignments or trees from this site, please cite the original paper, not the website. The Downloads page lists the papers and the files that belong to each one. When you report a species identified by DNA, it is helpful to give the EP number as well as the name, because names can change but the number allows comparison between studies.