Survey Priority (slime molds)

[Curtis Clark]

At 02:29 PM 3/16/01, Ken Kinman wrote:
>I must admit I would much rather
>be looking for butterflies and spiders when on a "nature" walk or collecting
>trip, but the scientist in me often gravitates toward the systematics of
>overlooked or misunderstood groups (even if they are somewhat
>physically-----how to put it---- "unattractive").

Slime molds are gorgeous! The meiosporangia are made of capillitium, a
fine, thread-like network, which, after the spores are dispersed, can look
like tiny brillo pads or intricate bird cages. The plasmodium, which is the
"slime" part, is in some species brightly colored. It is a single
multinucleate cell, and is a good example organism to show cytoplasmic
streaming. Back in the 1920s, there was an article in National Geographic
accompanied by plates of paintings of slime mold sporangia. Very attractive
organisms.

>     Slime molds are not a coherent group

I'm talking above about the Myxomycota sensu stricto (=mycetozoa). (The
other slime mold group I've seen, exemplified by Dictyostelium, is also
fascinating.)

>      The point is that saprophytes have popped up many different times in
>Kingdom Protista, each being more closely related to various groups of
>flagellates than they are to each other.

What do you mean by saprophyte in this context? Mycetozoa are as ingestive
as any other "protozoan".


--
Curtis Clark                  http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/
Biological Sciences Department             Voice: (909) 869-4062
California State Polytechnic University      FAX: (909) 869-4078
Pomona CA 91768-4032  USA                  jcclark at csupomona.edu