slime mold

noun

1. any of various funguslike organisms belonging to the phylum Myxomycota, of the kingdom Protista (or the plant class Myxomycetes), characterized by a noncellular, multinucleate, creeping somatic phase and a propagative phase in which fruiting bodies are produced bearing spores that are covered by cell walls.
2. any of several similar organisms of the phylum Acrasiomycota (or class Acrasiomycetes), differing from the true slime molds in being cellular and nucleate throughout the life cycle.

slime mold

1. Any of various organisms that exist as slimy masses and are commonly found on decaying plant matter. They are classified among the protists as two distinct phyla, Dictyolsteliomycota (the cellular slime molds) and Myxomycota (the plasmodial slime molds). The two phyla are not directly related to each other.
2. ◆ Cellular slime molds live as single, amoeba-like cells moving about feeding on bacteria. When food becomes scarce, they combine into a large, slug-like, mobile colony. This migrates to a new area before developing into a multicellular stalked structure that produces and releases spores. Each spore then develops into a new amoeba-like cell.
3. ◆ Plasmodial slime molds exist as a mass of amoeba-like protoplasm (called a plasmodium) that contains many nuclei within a single cell membrane. A single organism can spread out thinly and cover up to several square meters. The slimy mass moves along ingesting bacteria, fungi, and other organic matter. When food grows scarce, they stop moving and grow multicellular, spore-producing stalks. The plasmodial slime molds are also called myxomycetes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of slime mold¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The Cornell entomologists who christened the slime mold beetles named other new species after after their wives, Pocahontas, Darth Vader, and the locations where the creatures were first seen.

From Los Angeles Times

This may be why: Nature uses dynamic fractal patterns across every scale of reality from the distribution of dark matter to the growth of slime mold, including our bodies and brains.

From Salon

These organisms have inspired a slime mold algorithm that researchers have deployed to map filaments of dark matter connecting galaxies throughout the universe.

From Scientific American

The researchers' model “provides a nice mechanistic explanation for how slime mold achieves this feat,” he says.

From Scientific American

After three regularly timed puff cycles, the slime mold reacted as if it was expecting another puff at the appropriate time by slowing down, its usual reaction to the unwelcome air.

From Scientific American