Three phyla of fungus-like protists
Water molds
downey mildews
slime molds
slime mold share characteristics with fungi like:
Feed on decaying organic matter.
reproduce through spores
Absorb nutrients through their cell walls
slime molds differences with fungi:
The composition of their cell walls
The cell walls of fungi are made of chitin a complex carbohydrate.
The cell walls of funguslike protists contain cellulose or similar compounds, instead of chitin.
Slime molds are funguslike protists.
Slime molds are found in a variety of colors, ranging from yellows and oranges to blue, black, and red.
They usually grow in damp, shady places among decaying matter such as decaying leaves or wood.
Slime molds are classified as either acellular or cellular
cellular slime molds:Cellular slime molds are found in the phylum Acrasiomycota, These funguslike protists creep over rich, moist soil and engulf bacteria, Unlike acellular slime molds, they spend most of their life cycle as single amoeba-like cells and have no flagella.
Acellular slime molds:Found in the phylum Myxomycota, They are acellular because they go through a phase in their life cycle in which the nucleus divides but no internal cell walls form, resulting in a mass of cytoplasm with multiple nuclei, A plasmodium is a mobile mass of cytoplasm that contains many diploid nuclei but no separate cells, This is the feeding stage of the organism, It creeps over the surface of decaying leaves or wood like an amoeba and can grow as large as 30 cm in diameter.
Water molds and downy mildews are members of phylum Oomycota, Most live in water or damp places, Some absorb nutrients from the water or soil around them, Others obtain nutrients from other organisms
water molds share characteristics with fungi like:
water molds have differences with fungi like:
they both enclose their food with a mass of threads and absorb nutrients through their cell walls.
The composition of their cell walls:
The cell walls of fungi are made of chitin a complex carbohydrate.
The cell walls of Water Molds protists contain cellulose or similar compounds, instead of chitin.
The reproductive cells of water molds have flagella.
Water molds and downy mildews are members of phylum Oomycota, Most live in water or damp places, Some absorb nutrients from the water or soil around them, Others obtain nutrients from other organisms