| MadSci Network: Microbiology |
Hi Shawn -
Slime molds are very interesting creatures. They are some of the most primitive forms of multicellular life on the planet. The slime mold is made of many ameboid cells, often large cells that contain many nuclei. This kind of cell is referred to as a syncytial cell or a cell 'made up' of many cells. The molds commonly live in moist dirt or on dead bark where they break down the dead material and use it for food. To reproduce the mold calls in all its members and forms a fruiting body. Some cells sacrifice themselves to become the stalk and general structure of the fruiting body while others differentiate into spores that will develop into new slime molds. Slime molds are commonly used to study the biological molecules and processes involved in cellular differentiation. Their simplicity makes them good model organisms. In fact, some species of bacteria called Myxococci behave very much like eukaryotic slime molds such as Dictyostelium
Incidentally, don't let the name 'slime mold' fool you into thinking these guys are gross collections of slime and mucus. Many of these bodies are quite colorful and beautiful to view.
You can learn more about slime molds at the sites below. The Myxomycetes site discusses how to grow them and observe their behavior.
Animations of Dictyosteliuma - McNally Lab, here at WashU.
Good luck with your project.
Lynn Bry, MadSci Admin
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Microbiology.