LSC: INVAM, An International Culture Collection of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

在Joseph B. Morton博士的指导下，西弗吉尼亚大学研究公司获得了一笔赠款，用于维护和支持丛枝菌根真菌收集。这些真菌具有巨大的生态重要性，与大约80%的维管植物物种的根一起生活。这种共生关系通过提高根系对养分和水分的吸收，以及稳定土壤和影响植物群落的组成、生产力和寿命而使植物受益。西弗吉尼亚大学的培养收藏是鉴定和研究丛枝菌根的独特资源。该藏品包含1200多个菌株，占全球已知物种的近一半。每年为研究真菌生理学、生态学和系统学各个方面的研究人员提供数百种培养物。这种真菌只在植物根部生长，这笔拨款将资助改进盆栽方法的发展。这笔资金还将改进在线数据库，允许用户在数据库中搜索信息。将与其他实验室建立合作，以开发利用DNA序列数据识别菌株和物种的更好方法。将开发检测方法来筛选菌株对各种生态因素的耐受性。馆藏的网站包含丰富的结构、运作和馆藏政策信息；真菌分类学;培养方法，供应来源，以及收集资源的可搜索数据库。菌株和收集资源被科学家和教育工作者广泛使用。参观者将学习如何将菌根成分纳入他们的研究，并举办研讨会以促进这些活动。

A grant has been awarded to the West Virginia University Research Corporation under the direction of Dr. Joseph B. Morton for the maintenance and support of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi collection. These fungi are of immense ecological importance, living in association with the roots of approximately 80% of all vascular plant species. The symbiotic relationship benefits the plant by enhancing nutrient and water uptake by the roots, as well as stabilizing soils and affecting composition, productivity, and longevity of plant communities. The culture collection at West Virginia University is unique as a resource for identification and research on arbuscular mycorrhizae. The collection contains over 1,200 strains representing nearly half of the known species worldwide. Several hundred cultures are provided annually to researchers who study various aspects of physiology, ecology, and systematics of the fungi. The fungi only grow in association with plant roots, and this grant will fund the development of improved pot culture methods. The funding will also provide improvements in the online database by allowing users to search the database for information. Collaborations will be established with other laboratories to develop better methods of using DNA sequence data to identify strains and species. Assays will be developed to screen for the tolerance of strains to various ecological factors. The website for the collection contains a wealth of information on structure, operations, and policies of the collection; fungal systematics; culture methods, sources of supplies, and a searchable database of collection resources. Strains and collection resources are widely used by scientists and educators. Visitors to the collection learn how to incorporate a mycorrhizal component in their research, and workshops are held to facilitate these activities.