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Slime moulds, formerly classified as fungi, are now placed in the kingdom Protista along with other unicellular and small multicellular eukaryotic organisms. They are saprophytic, meaning they feed on dead and decaying organic matter.
What is another name for slime moulds?
The Myxomycota are known as true (plasmodial) slime molds, while the Acrasiomycota are referred to as cellular slime molds.
What are three characteristics of slime moulds?
Their name is derived from their gelatinous or slimy appearance. They exhibit animal-like behavior in their vegetative stage and plant-like behavior in their reproductive stage. They possess a cell wall only in their spore state; during other stages, they are surrounded by a plasma membrane.
Is slime mould a bacterium?
No, slime moulds are protists with two stages in their life cycles. In one stage, they behave like protozoa (specifically amoeba), while in the other, they resemble fungi. During the protozoan phase, they engulf food particles and other microbes, as well as consume decaying vegetation.
How do slime moulds form?
Slime moulds initiate spore production in response to environmental conditions. When food supplies diminish, the plasmodium migrates to the surface and produces fruiting bodies, which are structures resembling fungi.
Slime Moulds - Classification, Characteristics, and Life Cycle
Slime moulds, earlier grouped as fungi, now reside in the Protista kingdom as unicellular and small multicellular eukaryotic organisms. They are saprophytes, feeding on dead and decaying organic matter.
Khushboo Goyal2 Jun, 2025
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Slime Moulds: Slime moulds are a unique group of organisms previously classified as animals, fungi, and plants. Like plants, slime molds have cellulose in the cell walls of their spores. However, unlike plants, slime molds are heterotrophs. Although they were once classified as fungi, slime molds do not have chitin in their cell walls and have a diplontic life cycle. These organisms move as amoebae, consuming bacteria, unlike fungi, which digest food externally.
When conditions become unfavorable, such as a lack of food or moisture, they form spores. They are typically found in damp environments with abundant bacteria and are most commonly found on decaying logs and forest debris. Detailed NEET Biology Notes on Slime Moulds are provided in the article below.
Slime Moulds Classification
Slime moulds belong to the kingdom Protista, which is a diverse group of organisms that do not fit into other kingdoms such as plants, animals, or fungi. Within the kingdom Protista, slime moulds are classified into the phylum Mycetozoa or Myxomycota. This phylum is further divided into several classes, including:
Protosteliomycetes: These are primitive slime moulds that form small, simple fruiting bodies.
Dictyosteliomycetes: Also known as cellular slime moulds, these organisms form multicellular structures during part of their life cycle.
Acrasiomycetes: These slime moulds are similar to cellular slime moulds but have distinct differences in their life cycles and cellular structures.
Myxomycetes: Commonly known as true slime moulds, these organisms form complex, multinucleate structures called plasmodia.
Each class of slime moulds contains various genera and species, each with its own unique characteristics and behaviours. Slime moulds are fascinating organisms that play important roles in ecosystems, particularly in decomposing organic matter and recycling nutrients.
Slime Moulds Characteristics
The following are some characteristics of slime molds:
Absence of chlorophyll: Slime molds are distinct from plants as they cannot synthesise their own food through photosynthesis. Instead, they derive nutrients by consuming bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms, or by decomposing dead organic matter.
Mobile feeding phase: During their vegetative stage, most slime molds exist as a single-celled amoeba-like mass known as a plasmodium. This multinucleated mass can move and crawl across surfaces, engulfing food particles along its path.
Spore formation: When environmental conditions become unfavourable, the plasmodium undergoes a transformation into a fruiting body that produces spores. These spores possess resilient cellulose walls, aiding their survival in harsh conditions and facilitating dispersal to new environments.
Natural habitat: Slime molds are predominantly found in damp, shaded habitats worldwide, such as in soil, on decaying logs, and within leaf litter.
Life cycle: The life cycle of slime molds oscillates between a single-celled flagellated stage and a multicellular plasmodial stage. Under favourable conditions, the spores germinate and release flagellated amoebas. These amoebas feed, grow, and eventually divide and fuse to form a plasmodium. The plasmodium continues to feed and grow until environmental conditions become unfavourable. At this stage, the plasmodium transforms into a fruiting body and generates spores, initiating the cycle anew.
Slime molds are organisms that occupy a distinctive niche in the natural world. Their ability to move and feed as a single cell, coupled with their intricate life cycle, continues to captivate scientific interest.
The life cycle of a slime mold involves both single-celled and many-celled stages. The typical life cycle of a plasmodial slime mold consists of:
Spore dispersal: Spores are released from fruiting bodies and carried by the wind. These spores have only one set of chromosomes.
Amoeba stage: When spores land in a damp place, they sprout and change into single-celled amoebae. These amoebae eat bacteria and other natural matter by engulfing them.
Aggregation: As food becomes scarce, amoebae are drawn to chemicals released by other amoebae. They come together to form a many-celled structure called a plasmodium.
Plasmodium: The plasmodium is a large mass of amoebae without cell walls. It can grow quite big, sometimes covering several square meters. The plasmodium keeps feeding on bacteria and other natural matter.
Sexual reproduction: In some types, two compatible amoebae in the plasmodium join together, making a zygote with two sets of chromosomes.
Fruiting body formation: When conditions become bad, the plasmodium stops feeding and moves towards light or air. It changes into a fruiting body, which is a stalk-like structure holding capsules called sporangia.
Spore formation: Inside the sporangia, meiosis happens, and haploid spores are made. These spores can endure harsh conditions and stay inactive until conditions improve.
Germination: When conditions get better, the spores sprout, starting the cycle again.
Different species of slime molds can vary in how they reproduce, with some reproducing asexually and others sexually.
Acellular Slime Moulds
Acellular slime molds, also known as plasmodial slime molds, are organisms that defy traditional classification, blurring the lines between the Animalia and Fungi kingdoms. They belong to a distinct taxonomic group called Myxomycetes.
Feeding Stage:
During their feeding stage, acellular slime molds exist as a single, giant cell known as a plasmodium.
The plasmodium is a naked blob of cytoplasm containing many nuclei and can grow up to several feet in diameter.
It moves over decaying organic matter, engulfing bacteria and other microorganisms as it progresses.
Reproductive Stage:
When conditions become unfavorable, such as during food or moisture scarcity, the plasmodium transforms into a fruiting structure.
This fruiting structure produces spores, enabling the slime mold to disperse and reproduce.
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Cellular Slime Moulds
Cellular slime molds are a fascinating group of organisms that blur the line between single-celled and multicellular life. Unlike their close relatives, the acellular slime molds, which spend most of their lives as a giant single cell, cellular slime molds exist as individual amoeba-like cells for most of their lives.
These single-celled amoebae feed on bacteria and other organic matter in the soil. But when food becomes scarce, they undergo an amazing transformation. They begin to secrete a chemical signal that attracts other amoebae in the area. These amoebae then stream together, forming a multicellular slug.
The slug, which can be several centimeters long, then migrates to a more favorable location, such as a lit area. Once it reaches its destination, the slug transforms again, this time into a fruiting body. The fruiting body consists of a stalk that supports a spore-containing structure.
When conditions are right, the spores are released from the fruiting body and carried away by the wind. These spores will eventually germinate and grow into new amoebae, thus completing the life cycle of the cellular slime mold.
Cellular slime molds are found all over the world in a variety of habitats. They are an important part of the soil ecosystem, helping to break down dead organic matter. They are also being studied by scientists for their potential use in biotechnology.
Here are some of the key characteristics of cellular slime molds:
They exist as single-celled amoebae for most of their lives.
They can form multicellular slugs when food is scarce.
They reproduce by spores.
They are found all over the world in a variety of habitats.
They are an important part of the soil ecosystem.
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