Like other protists, they have complicated life cycles with both asexual and sexual reproduction. They are motile during some stages of their life cycle. Two major types of fungus-like protists are slime molds and water molds. Slime molds are fungus-like protists commonly found on rotting logs and compost. They move very slowly in search of decaying matter to eat. The mass glides along on its own secretions, engulfing decaying organic matter as it moves over it.
This slime mold looks like its name. There are two types of slime molds when it comes to how they swarm: acellular and cellular. Cellular slime molds are used as model organisms in molecular biology and genetics. They may be the key to how multicellular organisms evolved. Can you explain why? That's pretty impressive for an organism without a brain!
They can be found throughout the world, but the Pacific Northwest and Mount Rainier National Park provide ideal habitat for these amazing creatures. Explore This Park. Article Slime Molds. Fuligo septica, or "dog vomit" slime mold, is a common species of slime mold found in Mount Rainier National Park. Plasmodial slime mold threads on rotting wood. Vecchio Photo On the other hand, plasmodial slime molds start out as individual amoeboid cells, but join together to form a multi-nucleate mass having only one cellular membrane a "super-cell" containing multiple nuclei.
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Some cells in the slug contribute to a 2—3-millimeter stalk, which dries up and dies in the process. Cells atop the stalk form an asexual fruiting body that contains haploid spores. As with plasmodial slime molds, the spores are disseminated and can germinate if they land in a moist environment.
One representative genus of the cellular slime molds is Dictyostelium , which commonly exists in the damp soil of forests. There are over , described living species of protists.
Nearly all protists exist in some type of aquatic environment, including freshwater and marine environments, damp soil, and even snow. Paramecia are a common example of aquatic protists. Due to their abundance and ease of use as research organisms, they are often subjects of study in classrooms and laboratories.
In addition to aquatic protists, several protist species are parasites that infect animals or plants and, therefore, live in their hosts. Amoebas can be human parasites and can cause dysentery while inhabiting the small intestine. Other protist species live on dead organisms or their wastes and contribute to their decay.
Approximately species of slime mold thrive on bacteria and fungi within rotting trees and other plants in forests around the world, contributing to the life cycle of these ecosystems.
Learning Objectives Describe the habitats and life cycles of various protists. Key Points Slime molds are categorized on the basis of their life cycles into plasmodial or cellular types, both of which end their life cycle in the form of dispersed spores.
Plasmodial slime molds form a single-celled, multinucleate mass, whereas cellular slime molds form an aggregated mass of separate amoebas that are able to migrate as a unified whole. Slimes molds feed primarily on bacteria and fungi and contribute to the decomposition of dead plants.
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