. Explain the term. (i) Acellular Slime Moulds (ii) Cellular Slime Moulds

Best Answer

Acellular slime moulds exhibit the following characters:

i. Their somatic bodies are free living multinucleate, naked diploid protoplasmic masses called the plasmodia.

ii. The plasmodium forms a number of sporangia (fruiting bodies). Each sporangium is present on a stalk. 

iii. The sporangium usually contains a network of fine threads called capillitium.

iv. The spores are formed by meiosis from the diploid protoplast or the sporangium. 

v. They move with the help of pseudopodia like the amoebae.

vi. The spores germinate to produce biflagellate swarm cells that function as gametes. 

vii. The sexual reproduction is isogamous.

viii. The diploid zygote forms the plasmodium that becomes multinucleate by repeated mitotic division. 

Examples: Physarum, Physarella, Fuligo, Dictydium, etc.

Cellular Slime Moulds

 Cellular slime moulds have the following characters:

i. Complete absence of flagellated cells in their life cycle. 

ii. Presence of wall less uninucleate myxamoebae.

iii. Formation of pseudoplasmodium.

iv. Presence of naked sporangia (without sporangial cover). 

v. Presence of cellulose wall around is pores.

vi. Anisogamous sexual reproduction.

Examples: Dictyostellum, Polysphondylium, Protostelium, Acytostelium, etc.