Slime mold
Slime Mold
Slime mold (pronunciation: /slaɪm moʊld/), also known as myxomycetes (pronunciation: /mɪksoʊmaɪsiːts/), is a broad term describing some 900 species of amoeboid protists.
Etymology
The term "slime mold" is derived from the gelatinous appearance of many species during certain life-cycle stages. The term "myxomycetes" is derived from the Greek words "myxa" meaning "mucus" and "mycetes" meaning "fungus".
Definition
Slime molds were formerly classified as fungi but are no longer considered part of this kingdom. Their common name refers to part of some of these organisms' life cycles where they can appear as gelatinous "slime". This is mostly seen with the myxogastria, which are the only macroscopic slime molds.
Types of Slime Molds
Slime molds can be divided into two main groups, the cellular slime molds (dictyostelids) and the plasmodial slime molds (myxogastria and protostelids).
- Dictyostelids are cellular slime molds which generally exist as separate single-celled amoebae but combine into a multicellular slug-like composite when food is scarce.
- Myxogastria are plasmodial slime molds that form amoebae that can aggregate into a multicellular pseudoplasmodium.
- Protostelids are the most primitive slime molds, usually forming a simple, single fruiting body.
Life Cycle
The life cycle of a slime mold mainly consists of four stages: spore, amoeba, plasmodium, and fruiting body. The spore stage is initiated when the fruiting body releases spores, which germinate and grow into amoebae if conditions are favorable. The amoebae can transform into a plasmodium, a large, multinucleate and amoeboid cell. The plasmodium eventually forms a fruiting body, which releases spores, completing the cycle.
Related Terms
- Amoeboid - A type of cell or organism which has the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and retracting pseudopods.
- Protist - Any of a diverse taxonomic group and especially a kingdom (Protista synonym Protoctista) of eukaryotic organisms that are unicellular and sometimes colonial or less often multicellular and that typically include the algae, protozoans, and often some fungi (such as slime molds).
- Fungi - Any of a kingdom (Fungi) of saprophytic and parasitic spore-producing eukaryotic typically filamentous organisms formerly classified as plants that lack chlorophyll and include molds, rusts, mildews, smuts, mushrooms, and yeasts.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Slime mold
- Wikipedia's article - Slime mold
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski