JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOLOGY EDUCATION, May 2012, p. 67-69Copyright 2012 American Society for Microbiology DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v13i1.362

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Tips & Tools

*Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Bio-logical Sciences, College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, Espaa 1015 Manila, Philippines. Phone: 632-406-1611 local 8297. Fax: 632-731-4031. E-mail: tedelacruz@mnl.ust.edu.ph.

Development of a Myxomycete Photoguide as a Teaching Tool for Microbial Taxonomy

Sittie Aisha B. Macabago1 and Thomas Edison E. dela Cruz2*1Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the East, Manila, Philippines

2Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines

INTRODUCTION

The field of taxonomy deals with the identification, classification, and naming of organisms. It is an integral and important part of any course in biology. Thus, any budding biologist should master some techniques needed in identify-ing, grouping, and naming organisms. Taxonomists often use dichotomous keys and identification guides in published literature. However, not many researchers or students have access to these journal articles or taxonomic books. Re-cently, web-based identification guides have been developed to aid modern taxonomists in identifying organisms. These guides are readily available for those who have access to the Internet. Some web-based identification guides were made for different groups of animals, plants, and fungi (http://www.discoverlife.org/) (5). Unfortunately, these guides can only be used wherever Internet access is available. Thus, these cannot often be brought directly to the field for quick and easy identification of any collected specimens. Since we be-lieve that field experience is necessary for any students of biology or microbiology, we developed a photoguide on the myxomycetes we collected from Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. This photoguide is intended to aid both classroom and laboratory learning of a specific group of eukaryotic microoganisms, the plasmodial slime molds or myxomycetes. It provides a quick visual aid in the identifica-tion of myxomycetes found in Lubang Island, but may also be present in any other terrestrial forest areas of the country and of the world.

The guide contains photographs of representative and commonly encountered species of myxomycetes. At the back of each species, a corresponding description provides taxonomic information about the organism. This back-to-back leaflet also serves as a tool to disseminate information for ecotourism and conservation activities. In this paper, we described how the photoguide was developed, and we used myxomycetes or slime molds as the model organism. The procedure can also be used to create photoguides for any living organisms.

PROCEDURE

Collection and identification of specimens

Field specimens of myxomycetes were collected on de-caying logs and ground leaf litter from the island of Lubang in Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. Additional specimens were also obtained from moist chambers set up for substrates col-lected from the field. Moist chambers were prepared follow-ing the protocol of Stephenson and Stempen (3). Identification of collected specimens was done following characterization of gross morphological characters of the fruiting bodies and spores of each species under a stereomicroscope and/or compound light microscope. Characters included the type of the fruiting body, color of the spore mass, description of stalk and base, the presence of internal structures such as capillitium, lime crystals, and the size, shape, and texture of the individual spores. All morphometric data were then compared with identification keys and published literature (e.g., Stephen-son and Stempen (3)), and Web-based electronic databases (e.g., SYNKey (2)), and the Eumycetozoan Project (4). Naming of the identified myxomycetes followed the taxonomic keys in the website http://nomen.eumycetozoa.com (1). Identi-ties of representative species were also confirmed by our collaborator, Professor Dr. Steven L. Stephenson, University of Arkansas. Photographs of the collected specimens were captured using Moticam 1000 (Motic, USA).

Development of the myxomycete photoguide

Twenty-four collected specimens of myxomycetes from Lubang Island were chosen for the photoguide (Fig. 1). These species were recorded to be common in the study area, and can easily be observed both in moist chambers and in the field. Close-up photographs of the specimens were taken and arranged in a single PowerPoint slide. Other computer software such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop can be used to create this page. In each photograph, a scale bar was added for easy reference to the size of the species. A second slide was created containing relevant information about the organism.

It is useful to use taxonomic descriptions that best describe the species. When arranging the taxonomic de-scription, be sure to prepare it in such a manner that the description will fall exactly behind the described species.

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Colored copies of the photoguides were then printed back-to-back in a single paper or in two separate sheets, then glued together. The printed photoguides were finally laminated in clear, hard plastic sheets. These plastic sheets protect the photoguide from natural elements, such as rain, when used in the field.

CONClUsION

This developed myxomycete photoguide is a quick visual aid that can be used in the identification of com-monly encountered myxomycetes in Lubang Island or in any terrestrial forest ecosystems. The front side of the photoguide showed high-resolution photographs of the collected myxomycetes. This allowed easy comparison of the specimens found in the field. This is important when one would like to have a quick assessment of the species present in the study area. Knowing what are present in a given habitat can give an insight into the diversity of species found in that particular habitat. Directly opposite the picture on the back side of the photoguide were brief descriptions of the myxomycetes. These descriptions contained key feature morphological characters that are

needed to identify the species. The specimens can be col-lected in the field and brought to the classroom or labora-tory for observation of their morphological features. The descriptions provided in this photoguide can also aid the students in correctly identifying their collected specimens.

The myxomycete photoguide is a tool meant for field collections and classroom-based studies of myxomycetes by college students and researchers. However, this one-page, back-to-back brochure can also be used by younger students in the elementary and high school levels. The simplicity of the created photoguide allowed for easy comprehension by these students. The photoguide can also be prepared cheaply and in large quantities. This back-to-back leaflet can also serve as material to disseminate information to tourists and enthusiasts who are interested in searching for myxomycetes in their areas. Additional photoguides can be developed to represent other organ-isms found in the area.

ACKNOWlEDGMENTs

Our gratitude goes to Prof. Dr. Steven L. Stephenson, University of Arkansas for his aid in identifying some of

FIGURE 1. The myxomycete photoguide of Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. The front side (A) illustrates the collected and identified specimens with a scale bar showing their measured and/or approximate sizes, while the back page (B) provides concise descriptions of each of the illustrated species of myxomycetes.

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our specimens, and to Dr. Ka-Lai Pang for allowing us to use his resources at the National Taiwan Ocean University, Taiwan, and to the Martin-Baker Research Award given by the Mycological Society of America for the research grant of our project on the biodiversity and taxonomy of plasmodial slime molds (myxomycetes) in Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

REfERENCEs

1. Lado, C. 2005-2011. An on-line nomenclatural information system of Eumycetozoa. http://www.nomen.eumycetozoa.com.

2. Mitchell, D. 2008. Synoptic key to the Myxomycetes (SynKey). UK.

3. Stephenson, S. L., and H. Stempen. 1994. Myxomycetes: a handbook of slime molds. Timber Press Inc., Portland, OR.

4. University of Arkansas. 2010. The Eumycetozoan project. http://slimemold.uark.edu/index.htm.

5. University of Georgia. 2011. Discover life. http://www.discoverlife.org/.