title: Good-Enough RFLP Matcher (GERM) program.
abstract: A spreadsheet-based program (Good-Enough RFLP Matcher or GERM) is presented that matches unknown restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of ectomycorrhizal fungi to a database of known ectomycorrhizal fungi. The program uses three simple methods to determine whether a sample matches a known: (1) Forward Matching: whether every band in the unknown is present in a known sample within a given error range; (2) Backward Matching: whether every band in the known sample is present in the unknown within a given error range; (3) Sum of Bands: whether the sum of all bands in the known and unknown are similar within a given error range. The program is available through the web page of this journal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 115 Green Hall, 1530 N Cleveland Ave.,St. Paul, MN 55108, USA. dicki017@umn.edu
authors.forename: Ian A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Dickie
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Avis
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
authors.forename: Peter B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Reich
mesh_terms: D003628:Database Management Systems; D030561:Databases, Nucleic Acid; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000235:genetics*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length