Welcome to the world of slime …
Although
their appearance might suggest that slime moulds are fungi, they are neither
fungi nor moulds; though they often form spore-bearing structures that resemble
those of true fungi. Most slime moulds are generally deemed by taxonomists to
be protists; the oddities of the natural world that don't seem to fit in with
the rest of our global taxonomic grouping system - though this classification
is still open to some debate.
Although
many species fruit on decaying wood, they do not form penetrating and
absorptive masses of hyphae in the woody
substrate. Instead, slime moulds form
structures called
plasmodia, which are naked masses
of
protoplasm [a colourless material comprising the living part of a cell],
which can move about and engulf particles, in an
amoeboid-like manner, in
order to maximize the nutrients they can draw from their food source. The
plasmodia creep about over
the surfaces of resources, consuming bacteria,
fungal spores, plants, protozoa, and small particles of non-living organic
matter. This continues until the plasmodia convert into spore-bearing
structures. They
are strange and wonderfully varied in colour and form and have names to conjure with
such as Wolf's Milk Slime
Mould (Lycogala epidendrum) and Dog
Vomit Slime Mould (Fuligo septic).
Nice ...
Nice ...
Weird
but definitely wonderful ...
References:
O’Reilly,
P. (2016). Fascinated by Fungi –
exploring the majesty and mystery, facts and fantasy of the quirkiest kingdom
on Earth. Llandysul: First Nature, pp.78-79.
Sterry,
P. and Hughes. B. (2009). Collins Complete
Guide to British Mushrooms and Toadstools. London: HarperCollins, pp. 334-335.
