Guidelines

Guidelines for describing new Trebouxia OTUs

1. Single sequences:
   1. A single sequence is not considered a new OTU.
   2. If a sequence has only been detected once and there is no match in GenBank, it should be labeled as a Single Occurrence Sequence (i.e., SOS).
   3. You should search for at least another three occurrences in your study or GenBank to confirm it as a new OTU.
       
2. Fragment ITS from metabarcoding:
   1. Incomplete ITS sequences (i.e., sequences that do not contain the entire ITS1+5.8S + ITS2 fragments) cannot represent an OTU.
   2. A 100% match must be made with a GenBank sequence, and the GenBank sequence should be designated as the OTU representative.
       
3. Naming a new OTU:
   1. When naming a new Trebouxia OTU in a paper, it should be labeled using the established code (see at https://trebouxia.net/) which include the letter corresponding to the recognized Trebouxia clades, i.e A, C, D, I, S, and the number and he consecutive number available.
   2. A reference sequence should be selected and deposited in GenBank (it is preferable to release this accession without embargo).
       
4. Unpublished OTU with GenBank code:
   1. If a new OTU has been found and the paper is still unpublished, it should be added to a table on the Trebouxia website (https://trebouxia.net/) with its GenBank code.
   2. The GenBank code must be open, and the sequence should be available.
   3. It is not necessary, but it is highly recommended, to provide all the information (such as host, location, etc.) at this stage.
   4. This step helps prevent multiple simultaneous publications reviewing the same new OTU with different numbers or naming conflicts that may later require correction.