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Mycetozoa: Neither Fungus Nor Plant, But a Living Colony

Original: Mycetozoa are living, multiform organisms. Neither a fungus nor a plant, but a colony of single-celled organisms. Indivi

Mycetozoa, or slime molds, are drawing attention as organisms that defy easy classification. Neither fungi nor plants, they live as single-celled microbes about 10 micrometers across in the soil, feeding on bacteria. When conditions call for it, the cells merge into a mobile, millimeter-long collective that moves as one. Nature enthusiasts are sharing the strange biology of these multiform life forms, highlighting how individual cells cooperate to behave like a single animal-like organism.

Why now: The unusual, boundary-defying biology of slime molds fascinates people interested in wildlife and nature

Mycetozoaslime molds

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Evidence

• Mycetozoa are living, multiform organisms. Neither a fungus nor a plant, but a colony of single-celled organisms. Individual organisms, 10 micrometers in size, live in the soil and feed on microbes. Or they join together to form a “snail” one millimeter long that moves more… · plsik · 8

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