Slime Molds:
Oozing Between Boundaries BY TIA BÖTTGER Slime molds, myxomycetes, are not molds. They’re not any type of fungi in the kingdom mycota. They aren’t even slime all of the time. They fall into the biological category of protists, where we lump creatures that are not quite a plant, animal, or fungus (1). Their cells seem poised between a single-cellular and unicellular lifestyle, readily able to convert between the two. They have no central nervous system or anything that resembles one, and yet many are capable of sophisticated behaviors which force us to question our definition of intelligence (2). Slime molds ooze in and out of any definition we try to fit them into, inviting us to expand our perception. What can we learn when we are opened up to possibilities outside of the expectations created by human-constructed categorization? Slime molds look as bizarre and otherworldly as you might expect. They’re vibrant, unctuous, and alive. You’ll have to look closely to find them, as they are smaller than mushrooms, but they are found in similar environments. Slime molds live on organic
matter like decaying logs, leaves, or compost. They’ll appear after a couple days of rain, or in moist environments. Supposedly you can grow them at home, taking some wood from the forest and keeping it damp (3). But they’ve been found everywhere– from deserts to the edge of arctic snow melts, even on the body of the helmeted iguana. Slime molds have two main life stages, with four in total (4). They begin as soil-dwelling amoeba, usually around 5 to 10 micrometers large (5). In this stage, they will predate upon bacteria, pursuing a solitary, free-moving life. When deprived of a food source however, cells will undergo a radical change to seek comfort in community. The slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum sends out chemical signals, which causes thousands of separate amoeba organisms to coalesce into a “slug” form (5). They ultimately develop into a fruiting body: a pearly orb supported by cells in a structured stalk, with those near the top producing spores that will each become individual amoeba upon germination. The cells forming the stalk die, in a be-
COMATRICHA NIGRA FRUITING BODY
ELEMENTS | 5
