DO NOW:

DO YOUR BEST TO REMEMBER SOME BIOLOGY

1 MATERIAL.

QUESTION: WHAT DO THE TERMS “HAPLOID” AND

“DIPLOID” MEAN?

WHICH ARE YOU?

Slime Molds: Fungus-Like Protists

Slime Molds: The Weirdest Protists Ever?

“Dog Vomit” Slime Mold

Slime Molds: What Are They?

Slime molds are colonial, fungus-like protists.They are chemoheterotrophs, getting their

energy by decomposing plant matter, such as mulch, or eating bacteria and yeast.

They reproduce by making spores, like fungi doThere are two types: cellular slime molds and

plasmodial slime molds The plasmodial versions spend most of their lives as a

macroscopic colony. The cellular versions spend most of their lives as single

cells, coming together only to reproduce.To the video!

Fruiting Bodies

Fruiting Bodies are the spore-forming parts of slime molds

More Fruiting Bodies

Life Cycle: Cellular Slimes

Plasmodial vs Cellular

Plasmodial slimes (like dog vomit) spend most of their lives as a diploid colonial organism.

Cellular Slimes

Cellular slimes spend most of their lives as unicellular haploid protists.

It’s when they aggregate that things get a little freaky…

1 Giant Cell? Or thousands stuck together?

Cellular slime mold colony (aka slug)This “cell” has thousands of nuclei (red dots),

but only 1 membrane

What has scientists so interested is: How can so many single cells coordinate to form one of these???

Make Those Spores

When an appropriate location is reached, the colony will begin turning the 1,000s of nuclei into spores… and the cycle continues

Spore video

So… What to Remember?

Slime molds are fungus-like protists that reproduce via spores.

Plasmodial slime molds live most of their lives as diploid colonial blobs made of many cells.

Cellular slime molds live most of their lives as unicellular haploids, but come together to form a giant colony / cell with thousands of nuclei when stressed.

Slime molds are studied for cellular communication and coordination… and because

They’re just WEIRD!