Sarah Brown
Slime molds are brainless, single-celled organisms that are not plants, animals, or fungi. They are soil-dwelling amoebas that are often brightly coloured and exhibit characteristics common to fungi. Slime molds have a life cycle that resembles that of fungi and reproduce by producing spores. They are found in damp, shady habitats, feeding on bacteria, yeast, and fungus. Slime molds have been the subject of various studies due to their unique characteristics, such as their ability to navigate mazes and find efficient routes to food sources.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Slime molds are a polyphyletic assortment of distantly related eukaryotic organisms in the Stramenopiles, Rhizaria, Discoba, Amoebozoa and Holomycota clades. |
| Type | There are two types of slime mold: cellular and acellular (plasmodial). |
| Cellular structure | Slime molds have very different cellular structures from fungi. |
| Habitat | Slime molds are found in damp areas, on rotting logs, and forest floors. |
| Colour | Slime molds come in every colour of the rainbow except green. |
| Shape | Slime molds form strange and sophisticated shapes, some resembling honeycomb lattices and blackberries. |
| Size | Slime molds can be microscopic or grow up to 10-13 feet in size. |
| Food | Slime molds feed on bacteria, yeast, and fungus. |
| Movement | Slime molds can move, although slowly, at a rate of about 1 millimeter per hour. |
| Intelligence | Slime molds are capable of navigating mazes to find food and remembering the paths they took. |
| Reproduction | Slime molds reproduce by producing spores. |
| Edibility | Slime molds are technically edible but not very flavorful. |
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What You'll Learn
Slime molds are not fungi or mushrooms
Slime molds share some similarities with fungi, which may be why they were initially classified as such. For example, they are both found in similar environments, such as on decaying forest litter and rotting wood, and they both produce spores. However, their cellular structures are very different. Fungi produce enzymes that break down organic matter into chemicals that are then absorbed through their cell walls, while slime molds engulf their food, mostly bacteria.
Additionally, slime molds are capable of much more complex behaviour than fungi. They have been shown to be able to navigate mazes to find food sources, and even remember the path they took. They can also fuse back together after being separated, and transfer knowledge among themselves once they have fused.
Slime molds are typically single-celled organisms, although they can join together to form a multi-celled mass when food is scarce. This mass, called a plasmodium, can be quite large, with some species recorded to be over thirty square meters in size. The cells within the plasmodium can also reconfigure, changing their shape and function to form stalks that produce bulbs called fruiting bodies.
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Slime molds are brainless, single-celled organisms
Slime molds have a unique method of reproduction, producing spores in macroscopic multicellular or multinucleate fruiting bodies formed through aggregation or fusion. This aggregation is driven by chemical signals called acrasins. The spores are then picked up and transported by the wind, insects, or other animals. Slime molds can also reproduce through the formation of a sclerotium, a hard-walled mass that protects dormant cells until favourable conditions for growth return.
There are two types of slime molds: cellular and acellular (plasmodial). Cellular slime molds remain as single cells during their life cycle. When a food source is encountered, they send out chemical signals to attract others of their kind, forming a mass capable of movement in an amoeba-like fashion. On the other hand, plasmodial slime molds start as individual amoeboid cells but join together to form a multi-nucleate mass with a single cellular membrane, known as a plasmodium. This plasmodium can grow to a large size, with some species covering over thirty square meters.
Slime molds have been studied for their remarkable ability to navigate mazes and find the quickest route to food sources. They have been used in laboratory experiments to approximate motorway networks and have even inspired a science-fiction film, "The Blob". Despite their intriguing characteristics, slime molds are often overlooked and considered unsightly by humans.
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They are polyphyletic, consisting of multiple clades
Slime moulds are not mushrooms. They were once thought to be fungi, but advanced scientific analyses have shown that they do not fit within the system of taxonomic rank. They are not moulds either, although they exhibit characteristics common to fungi, as well as those demonstrated by animals.
Slime moulds are a polyphyletic assortment of distantly related eukaryotic organisms. Polyphyletic groups are assemblages that include organisms with a mixed evolutionary origin but do not include their most recent common ancestor. They are defined by 'absence' characters, and although redwood trees are jawless and toothless, they are not included in these taxa. Polyphyletic taxa once in common usage include "Insectivora" for various toothless, insect-eating mammals such as anteaters and armadillos.
The slime moulds are in the Stramenopiles, Rhizaria, Discoba, Amoebozoa, and Holomycota clades. The Protosteliida, another polyphyletic group, have characters intermediate between the Dictyosteliida and the Myxogastria, but they are much smaller, with fruiting bodies forming only one to a few spores. The Dictyosteliida or cellular slime moulds do not form huge coenocytes like the Myxogastria; their amoebae remain individual for most of their lives as unicellular protists, feeding on microorganisms.
The Labyrinthulomycetes are marine slime nets, forming labyrinthine networks of tubes in which amoeba without pseudopods can travel. The Fonticulida are cellular slime moulds that form a fruiting body in a "volcano" shape. The Lobosans, a paraphyletic group of amoebae, include the Copromyxa slime moulds. The Phytomyxea are obligate parasites, with hosts among the plants, diatoms, oomycetes, and brown algae.
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Slime molds are found on every continent
Slime molds are a variety of small or microscopic organisms. They are not plants, animals, or fungi, but they do exhibit characteristics common to fungi and animals. They are found on every continent, from the Arctic Circle to the tip of Chile, and are cosmopolitan in distribution. They are particularly fond of forest floors, where they break down rotting vegetation, feeding on bacteria, yeast, and fungus. They are also commonly found on decaying forest litter and rotting wood.
Slime molds are typically found in damp, shady habitats, such as shaded forests, rotting wood, fallen or living leaves, and on bryophytes. They contribute to the decomposition of dead vegetation and play an important role as decomposers and recyclers of nutrients in the food web. Their diet consists of the bacteria that feed on decomposing plant matter. In turn, slime molds may be consumed by nematodes, beetles, and other larger life forms.
There are two types of slime molds: cellular and acellular (plasmodial). During their life cycle, slime molds can exist as both single-celled and multicellular forms, with individual cells coming together to form fruiting bodies that produce spores. Cellular slime molds remain as single cells during their life cycle. When an individual cell encounters a food source, it sends out a chemical signal that attracts others of its kind, and they join together to form a multicellular mass. This mass is capable of movement in an amoeba-like fashion, with each cell maintaining its individual integrity. The fruiting bodies of cellular slime molds release spores, which then germinate into single-celled amoeboid cells.
Plasmodial slime molds, on the other hand, start as individual amoeboid cells but join together to form a multi-nucleate mass with only one cellular membrane, often referred to as a "super-cell." This mass, called a plasmodium, can be quite large and is frequently observed as threads of "slime" on rotting wood. The plasmodium matures into a network of interconnected filaments that slowly moves as a unit.
Slime molds are diverse in appearance and come in every color of the rainbow, except for a true green due to the lack of chlorophyll. They form strange and sophisticated shapes, with some resembling honeycomb lattices or blackberries. Some remain microscopic, while others grow into bulbous masses up to 10 to 13 feet long.
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They are efficient at finding the quickest route to food
Slime moulds are efficient at finding the quickest route to food, despite being brainless organisms. They are single-celled organisms that organise themselves into branching networks of tubes. When slime moulds encounter food, their tubes closest to the food source soften, causing intracellular fluid to bulge in the direction of the food. This causes the tubes to widen, while tubes far from the food source remain stiff, shrink, and are disassembled. This mechanism allows the slime mould to propel itself towards the food source.
In a study, computer scientist Selim Akl of Queens University demonstrated that slime mould can efficiently find the quickest route to food. In the experiment, rolled oats were placed over a map of Canada's population centres, and a slime mould culture was placed over Toronto. The slime mould grew across the map, sprouting tentacles that resembled Canada's highway system. This experiment has been replicated globally, including in Japan, the UK, and the US, with similar outcomes.
The ability of slime moulds to efficiently navigate towards food has intrigued computer scientists like Akl, who study these organisms to better understand how nature "computes". The hope is that by observing how slime moulds compute optimal coverage of a map while minimising energy expenditure, researchers can develop more efficient algorithms for delivering information.
Additionally, slime moulds have demonstrated problem-solving abilities in laboratory settings. They can solve mazes and determine the optimal layout for railway systems. In one study, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization developed a model to understand how slime moulds organise their branching tubes around food sources. These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms behind the slime mould's seemingly intelligent behaviour.
While slime moulds were once thought to be fungi, advanced scientific analyses have revealed that they do not fit within the traditional taxonomic ranks. They exhibit characteristics common to fungi, animals, and plants, but they do not belong to any of these kingdoms. Instead, they are classified as protists, which are eukaryotic organisms that are not animals, plants, or fungi.
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Frequently asked questions
Slime molds are a polyphyletic group of distantly related organisms in the Stramenopiles, Rhizaria, Discoba, Amoebozoa, and Holomycota clades. They are not molds or fungi, but they do share some similarities with fungi. They are also not plants or animals.
Slime molds come in a variety of shapes and colors, including yellow, black, orange, white, and brown. Some have unappealing names like "dog vomit" or "scrambled egg slime" due to their appearance. They can form strange and sophisticated shapes, such as honeycomb lattices or blackberries.
Slime molds are typically found in damp, shady habitats, such as forests, rotting wood, leaves, and cow dung. They are cosmopolitan in distribution and can be found on every continent, including Antarctica.
Slime molds are single-celled organisms that can combine and form multicellular masses when food is scarce. They have been shown to navigate mazes to find food sources and can remember the paths they took. They also have the ability to survive separation and fuse back together, with each component part transferring knowledge to the others.
No, a slime mold is not a mushroom. While slime molds were once thought to be fungal, advanced scientific analyses have shown that they do not fit within the taxonomic rank of fungi. They have cellular structures that are very different from fungi, but they do reproduce by producing spores like fungi.
