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Generally slime molds live in damp areas of vegetation. They live under rotting logs and damp leaves. Some of the other habitats that slime molds will inhabit include water such as tropical fish tanks. They also live on lawns, in wood chips, garden beds, and sometimes even the sides of buildings.
- What is the natural habitat of cellular and Plasmodial slime molds?
- Do slime molds live in water?
- Is a slime mold alive?
- What do slime molds resemble?
- Do slime molds produce spores?
- Where does meiosis take place in slime molds?
- Do slime molds move?
- Can I eat slime mold?
- Do slime molds have DNA?
- Can you touch slime mold?
- What is slime mold classified as?
- Are slime molds eukaryotic or prokaryotic?
- Are slime molds decomposers?
- Why are slime molds considered to resemble plants?
- When a slime mold forms a Plasmodium what type of organism does it resemble?
- How do slime molds obtain nutrients?
What is the natural habitat of cellular and Plasmodial slime molds?
The first group is known as the plasmodial slime molds, or Myxomycetes. The slime molds can exist as cells that appear similar to amoeba , and which are able to move to find food. A common habitat for these cells is underneath rotting logs and damp leaves, where the cellulose that the cells use for food is abundant.
Do slime molds live in water?
The cellular slime molds exist as individual cells during the feeding stage. ... The water molds and downy mildews belong to the phylum Oomycota. They grow on the surface of dead organisms or plants, decomposing the organic material and absorbing nutrients. Most live in water or in moist areas.
Is a slime mold alive?
Slime mold is not a plant or animal. ... Slime mold, in fact, is a soil-dwelling amoeba, a brainless, single-celled organism, often containing multiple nuclei.
What do slime molds resemble?
Slime molds are members of a shape-shifting group of organisms called myxomycetes. ... Although they often resemble fungi, slime molds are more closely related to amoebas and certain seaweeds.
Do slime molds produce spores?
Making sporangia ( spore capsules ) is fatal for a slime mould - the end of the adult organism but its spores are dispersed by wind and germinate when they land somewhere damp. The spores hatch into amoebae (strictly speaking they're myxamoebae).
Where does meiosis take place in slime molds?
A stalk arises from the plasmodium, and nuclei within the stalk cells divide by meiosis. Knobs called sporangia develop at the end of the stalk and fill with haploid spores. The spores are shed and removed by the wind when the stalk dries.
Do slime molds move?
Slime molds may move slowly, but they excite scientists by their ability to get a lot done with very little. ... Slime molds don't have legs or any appendages. They eat bacteria and tiny fungi. And they move just by changing their shape.
Can I eat slime mold?
Not only is slime mold harmless, it's also edible! In parts of Mexico it is gathered and scrambled like eggs in a dish they call “caca de luna” but we don't recommend that you eat it. Slime molds are not actually molds, fungi, plant, animal or bacteria—they consume fungi and bacteria on decaying plant material.
Do slime molds have DNA?
Abstract. The molecular weight of single-stranded DNA from the slime mold Physarum polycephalum has been determined by alkaline gradient centrifugation. ... These data support the conjecture that each bacterial chromosome can be dissociated into 10 or 12 single-stranded pieces of DNA.
Can you touch slime mold?
Plasmodia are usually clear, white, yellow, orange, or red, and can grow large enough to be visible to the naked eye. Touching a slime mold in this stage feels like touching snot and will leave a slimy residue on your finger.
What is slime mold classified as?
Slime molds are classified in the Kingdom Protista (the Protists), despite many years of having been classified as fungi, in the class Myxomycetes.
Are slime molds eukaryotic or prokaryotic?
Cellular slime molds are eukaryotic microorganisms in the soil. They feed on bacteria as solitary amoebae but conditionally construct multicellular forms in which cell differentiation takes place.
Are slime molds decomposers?
Slime molds are found worldwide. Water molds thrive in water and wet soil. They are considered to be more closely related to plants than fungi since they have cellulose cell walls. ... They are mostly marine and are decomposers of dead plant material or parasites on plants and algae or some animals.
Why are slime molds considered to resemble plants?
Slime molds are neither a plant, animal, nor a fungus. They belong to a class of organisms known as myxomycetes. This unusual organism exhibits behaviors that are similar to both plant and animal behavior. Moist areas cause the slime by helping spores to germinate which release amoeba cells.
When a slime mold forms a Plasmodium what type of organism does it resemble?
Slime molds belong in the phylum Myxomycota in the kingdom Protista. They are not a true fungus. These organisms exist in nature as a “blob” (plasmodium), similar to a amoeba. And they engulf their food, mostly bacteria.
How do slime molds obtain nutrients?
Slime molds go through a process called "phagocytosis" in order to gain the necessary nutrients. This simply means that the slime mold engulfs its food items and internally digests it. ... They can utilize many different substances as food. Some of these substances include: decaying leaves, logs and dung.
