This award renews support of the International Collection of Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (INVAM) at West Virginia University Research Collection. The collected fungi are soil-borne organisms that form mutualistic symbiotic associations with the roots of at least 80% of all terrestrial plant species. INVAM is the largest public collection of such fungi, with 1061 accessions at present. This award provides support to INVAM's continued operation of the collection. This includes characterization and preservation of collected germplasm , distribution of germplasm sources to user groups worldwide, centralization of information in an extensive Internet website, and education and training related to use and operation of the collection. In addition, this award will support the implementation of lyophilization and other long-term storage means to circumvent the use of serial culture.
