title: Response to Comment on "Global assessment of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus diversity reveals very low endemism".
abstract: Bruns and Taylor argue that our finding of widespread distribution among Glomeromycota "virtual taxa" is undermined by the species definition applied. Although identifying appropriate species concepts and accessing taxonomically informative traits are challenges for microorganism biogeography, the virtual taxa represent a pragmatic classification that corresponds approximately to the species rank of classical Glomeromycota taxonomy, yet is applicable to environmental DNA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Tartu, 40 Lai Street, 51005 Tartu, Estonia. maarja.opik@ut.ee.
authors.forename: Maarja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Öpik
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Tartu, 40 Lai Street, 51005 Tartu, Estonia. maarja.opik@ut.ee.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davison
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Tartu, 40 Lai Street, 51005 Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moora
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Tartu, 40 Lai Street, 51005 Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Meelis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pärtel
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, University of Tartu, 40 Lai Street, 51005 Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zobel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D006801:Humans; D038821:Mycorrhizae; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology*; D013559:Symbiosis