Which one of the following is a slime mould? (a) Physarum (b) Thiobacillus (c) Anabaena (d) Rhizopus
Option A Slime moulds are peculiar protista that normally take the form of amoebae, but under certain conditions develop fruiting bodies that release spores, superficially similar to the sporangia of fungi. The order physarales include Physarum species. The fruiting bodies (sporangia) are characterized by the presence of abundant amount of calcium salt. The order comprises 142 species which are placed under 12 genera. Physarum polycephalam is the best known. The somatic phase is multinucleate, diploid holocarpic plasmodium which is the product of syngamy.
