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Specy

Slime Mold

Fungi

Physarum polycephalum is an acellular slime mold, or myxomycete, technically an amoeba, with diverse cellular forms and a broad geographic distribution. Its acellular plasmodial stage is a bright yellow, macroscopic, multinucleate mass shaped as a network of interlaced tubes, and that stage, together with its preference for damp shady habitats, originally led to the organism being mistaken for a fungus. It is commonly cultivated and used as a model organism in research into motility, cellular differentiation, chemotaxis, cellular compatibility and the cell cycle.

Facts
Classification
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 1
Relationship to People
Ecotourism and Research 1
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Plasmodium is a bright yellow macroscopic multinucleate coenocyte shaped in a network of interlaced tubes 1
Scientific Name
Physarum polycephalum 1
Conservation Status
Not Evaluated 2
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Amoebozoa, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Slime Mold
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Brazil

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Norway

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Taiwan

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Physarum polycephalum, Wikipedia
  • Introduction, first sentence
    Physarum polycephalum, an acellular slime mold, or myxomycete, is an amoeba with diverse cellular forms
  • Life cycle and characteristics
    the plasmodium is a bright yellow macroscopic multinucleate coenocyte shaped in a network of interlaced tubes
  • slime mold in damp shady land habitats
  • Lead
    P. polycephalum is used as a model organism for research into motility, cellular differentiation, chemotaxis, cellular compatibility, and the cell cycle.
View the Source
2. GBIF (IUCN Red List category): GBIF IUCN Red List category for Physarum polycephalum
GBIF (IUCN Red List category)GBIF taxon key 3214606, category field
Quote, GBIF taxon key 3214606, category field
"category": "NOT_EVALUATED"
View the Source
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
International Union for Conservation of NatureView the Source
Wikidata: Slime Mold
  • Wikidata Q134950, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Child Taxon Of: Amoebozoa, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source
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