Fuligo septica Metatrichia vesparia

Slime molds

        Slime molds are not true fungi, but the fruiting bodies produced by some species have the general appearance of miniature fungi and occur in the same types of situations in which fungi are found. In fact, for a long time, slime molds were considered to be fungi, and even today they tend to be studied by the same people (mycologists) who study fungi. However, the slime mold life cycle, which includes an animal-like vegetative stage referred to as a plasmodium (plural: plasmodia), is very different from any fungus. In nature, plasmodia feed mostly upon bacteria, although those of some species are known to consume fungi!



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