A history of the taxonomy and systematics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi belonging to the phylum Glomeromycota.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are grouped in a monophyletic group, the phylum Glomeromycota. In this review, the history and complexity of the taxonomy and systematics of these obligate biotrophs is addressed by recognizing four periods. The initial discovery period (1845-1974) is characterized by description mainly of sporocarp-forming species and the proposal of a classification for these fungi. The following alpha taxonomy period (1975-1989) established a solid morphological basis for species identification and classification, resulting in a profuse description of new species and a need to standardize the nomenclature of spore subcellular structures. The cladistics period from 1990 to 2000 saw the first cladistic classification of AMF based on phenotypic characters only. At the end of this period, genetic characters played a role in defining taxa and elucidating evolutionary relationships within the group. The most recent phylogenetic synthesis period (2001 to present) started with the proposal of a new classification based on genetic characters using sequences of the multicopy rRNA genes.