Glomeromycetes
The glomeromycetes are of great ecological importance. Many plants form mycorrhizal associations with these fungi. This LM shows glomeromycete hyphae (stained dark blue) within a plant root. This phyla contains only 160 species. The glomeromycetes were considered to be part of the Phylum Zygomycetes. rRNA sequences show that the glomeromycetes form a seperate monophyletic clade. Glomeromycetes have coencytic mycelia and reproduce asexually through spores, with spore clusters being found near plant roots. This group is extremely important ecologically, as nearly all of them form arbuscular mycorrhizae with the roots of seed plants or the thalli of byrophytes.