The Ectomycorrhizae Descriptions Database (EDD) system was completed in August 2007. It is a completely revised version of the earlier Database of Descriptions of Ectomycorhizae (DDE), completed January 2000 and removed in March 2006 because of legacy software issues. The system was developed with the purpose of bringing together as many published and unpublished ectomycorrhizae (EM) descriptions as possible, and to be a comprehensive tool for identification of ectomycorrhizae.
As of August 2007 EDD contains 490 descriptions in total, including 318 from Determination of Ectomycorrhizae (DEEMY) and Ingleby et al. (1993), 23 from a Manual of Concise Descriptions of Ectomycorrhizae (CDNAE) as well as 148 unpublished descriptions, including those from the Photoprofiles of Ectomycorrhizae (POE). EDD can be searched either by browsing a catalogue of EM types in the database or by a synoptic search of key features and characters. Entry of search profiles is done using a web form with all the characters in the CDNAE checklist and also includes links to the CDNAE illustrated glossary. The catalogue and search results page also provides links to Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest if a description of the sporocarp mushroom of that species also occurs there, to images in either CDNAE or POE, and to GenBank for those EM types described in CDNAE or POE for which DNA sequence data have been accessioned.
Qualified researchers should contact the site editor if they would like to add EM descriptions to EDD. Preparation of database EM descriptor files is done using a browser entry form identical to the EDD search form and can be done using the entry form tool online or offline. Contributors would also be asked to submit a photoprofile to POE if the EM type has not been published elsewhere.
design and programming by
Patrick Armstrong
Alan Thomson
J.A. (Tony) Trofymow (site editor)
The earlier Database of Descriptions of Ectomycorhizae (DDE) system was developed by Doug Goodman, Stephen Barker, Alan Thomson, J.A. (Tony) Trofymow, Dolim Chow, Chris Geoghegan and Norman Sim. R. Agerer is acknowledged for his permission to use the DEEMY data in the database. Previous funding for the DDE had been provided by the Biodiversity Network of the Canadian Forest Service and by the BC Forest Research Extension partnership (FORREX).
Funding for development of EDD came from the BC Forest Investment Account: Forest Science Program (FIA-FSP) and the Canadian Forest Service.