Science Source Stock Photo

Slime Mold

Description: Colored scanning electron micrograph of the fruiting bodies (sporangium) of slime mold (Badhamia utricularis). Some of these sporangium have broken open to release their spores. Changes in humidity cause the white colored threads within the fruiting body to change shape, flicking the spores into the air. Until recently the taxonomic status of slime molds has been uncertain. They had been considered to be fungi by some and protozoa by others. There are three main groups of slime molds. One group is the Plasmodial slime molds which are large single cells with thousands of nuclei. These cells are formed when individual flagellated cells swarm and fuse together. Another group is the cellular slime molds. These slime molds begin their lives as individual amoeboid protists which later congregate into a large swarm. The third group is the Labyrinthulomycota which seem to be more closely related to the Chromista than the other slime molds. Magnification is x150 at 6x6cm.

Credit:

Eye of Science/Science Source

Unique identifier: SS2180024

Legacy Identifier: BC8837

Type: Image

Size: 4000px × 4000px (~45 MB)

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