What is a myxomycete?

Once, going out for a walk in the woods after a good, lush rain, you might have spotted strange, pinkish blobs on an old log, about half a centimeter in size. If you touch it – how disgusting, the nice coloured thing is slimy throughout!

Tubifera ferruginosa in development

This is a slime mould in development, and if you would have come along a few hours later, it would not be easy to spot any more, since in these few hours the pink blob converts into an inconspicuous, small puffball which releases lots – we talk about millions – of pale pinkish spores. What you might have seen was Lycogala epidendrum, the wolf blood slime mold, and its way to emerge from the world of microorganisms into the macroscopic world – a feature almost unique among live.

Tubifera ferruginosa mature

What makes myxomycetes so unique?

These organisms seem to be a mixture of all other living creatures on earth. They disperse through spores – like a mushroom. From the spores, small amoebae hatch – these are true microorganisms. These myxamoebae prey for bacteria and other fellow microorganisms – like many protists. Later, they may come together and form a bigger structure, called plasmodium – unlike all other living beings. This protoplasma mass can move and ingest more micro-organisms – like an animal. And finally, it gives rise to fruiting bodies – like a mushroom. These fruitings often look like tiny flowers on small stalks. There destiny is to elevate the spores above the wet substrate, to ensure that they can dry out, become airborne to restart again the life cycle.

The fruiting bodies come in beautiful colors, filigrane structures, and many shapes. We can see them even with the naked eye, and that is the reason why I call them ‘macroscopically visible microorganisms’. They are the only life stage easy to detect in the field and give as a glimpse into the hidden world of these micro-organisms.

Hemitrichia serpula, litter of dead Heliconia, Maquipucuna Reserve near Quito, Ecuador

Amaurochaete atra, pine stump, Fairmont, West Virginia, USA

Ceratiomyxa morchella, acidic rotten log, Yasuni National Park, eastern Ecuador

Where can I get more information about myxomycetes?

If you want to know more details of a slime mold’s life history, read on, even if it gets somewhat technical. To see how you can work as a student with slime moulds, uncovering some new facts of their life, check out [LINK ]. To learn about the topics of a current research project about the ecology of slime molds, see [LINK]. To view an example about slime mold taxonomy, try [LINK]. Finally, there is a couple of good books about the life history of slime molds:

Stephenson, S.L. & Stempen, H. (1994): Myxomycetes - A Handbook of Slime Molds. - Portland, Oregon (Timber Press) 183 pp.

In English, covers all aspects of the life history and features some common species, precise but not too technical.

Neubert, H., Nowotny, W. & Baumann, K. (1993, 1995, 2000): Die Myxomyceten Deutschlands und des angrenzenden Alpenraumes unter besonderer Berücksichtigung Österreichs. Band 1 Ceratiomyxales, Echinosteliales, Liceales, Trichiales; Band 2. Physarales.; Band 3. Stemonitales. Gomaringen (Baumann Verl.)

In German, three volumes with a brief introduction into myxomycete ecology in the first volume. Beautiful colour pictures and precise drawings and descriptions feature all species known from Germany and Austria. These volumes serve easily as a determination handbook for the northern temperate zones.

Martin, G.W. & Alexopoulos, C.J. (1969): The Myxomycetes. - Iowa City (Univ. of Iowa Press) 561 p.

In English, the only recently written world monograph of myxomycetes; out of print. The book has a rather comprehensive chapter about myxomycete ecology and life cycle, but the main part are keys and technical descriptions of the about 500 myxomycete species known in 1969.