Slime mould, light micrograph


Light micrograph of a fruiting body from the slime mould Lamproderma lycopodia. Within the fruiting body are spores that will germinate into free-living, single-celled amoeba. The amoeba aggregate to form a plasmodium, a large single cell with multiple nuclei. The plasmodium can move slowly, feeding on bacteria, fungi and decaying matter. In poor conditions the plasmodium forms fruiting bodies and the life cycle begins again. Slime moulds were once classified as fungi but are now classified as protozoa. The fruiting bodies of Lamproderma lycopodia are only found on the leaves of clubmosses (Lycopodium sp.). Magnification 35 when printed at 15cm wide.


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Photo credit: © EYE OF SCIENCE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, amoeba, biological, biology, black, body, forest, fruit, fruiting, lamproderma, light, lm, lycopodia, microbiological, microbiology, micrograph, microscopy, mold, mould, myxogastrea, myxogastria, myxomycetes, plasmodial, protist, protista, protozoa, protozoan, reproduction, reproductive, slime, soil, spore, spores