Glomerales

Glomerales
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Glomeromycota
Class:	Glomeromycetes
Order:	Glomerales Morton & Benny, 1990
Families and genus
Glomeraceae Funneliformis Funneliformis caledonius Funneliformis coronatus Funneliformis mosseae Glomus Glomus cerebriforme Glomus macrocarpum Rhizophagus Rhizophagus clarus Rhizophagus intraradices Rhizophagus irregularis Rhizophagus proliferus Sclerocystis Septoglomus Septoglomus constrictum Claroideoglomeraceae Claroideoglomus Claroideoglomus claroideum Claroideoglomus drummondii Claroideoglomus etunicatum Claroideoglomus luteum Claroideoglomus walkeri
Synonyms
Glomales

Glomerales is an order of symbiotic fungi within the phylum Glomeromycota.

Biology

These fungi are all biotrophic mutualists. Most employ the arbuscular mycorrhizal method of nutrient exchange with plants. They produce large (.1-.5mm) spores (azygospores and chlamydospores) with thousands of nuclei.

Phylogeny

All members of their phylum were once thought to be related to the Endogonaceae, but have been found through molecular sequencing data, to be a closer relation to the Dikarya. Their fossil record extends back to the Ordovician period (460 million years ago).

Orthography

The family name Glomeraceae upon which this order level name is based, was incorrectly spelled 'Glomaceae', hence the order name was incorrectly spelled 'Glomales'. Both are correctable errors, to Glomeraceae and Glomerales, as governed by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. The incorrect spellings are commonplace in the literature, unfortunately.

See also

• Glomalin