slime moulds

[animartco]

Hi all. I have several pictures of slime moulds which I hope to post up soon. I would like to know roughly how many species there are in Britain, and how interchangeable they are. Do all species have the same life cycles, or do some never form slugs or only form slugs and never fruiting bodies? I am always seeing bright orange round blobs on any sort of dead wood which look like little slugs 2mm across, but these are probably fungi, or perhaps a link species. I have never seen this colour as fruiting bodies. But I have seen white, dark grey and mustard fruiting bodies, and lemon, pink, and claret slugs.

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by animartco

I am always seeing bright orange round blobs on any sort of dead wood which look like little slugs 2mm across, but these are probably fungi,

Sounds like they're coral spot fungi:



Jim

[Ditiola]

Slime Moulds (myxomycetes)

In Bruce Ings Book: The Myxomycetes of Britain and Ireland, (if I counted right), 364 species are listed as British.

If you wish to learn all about them I suggest you try to get this book from your library, or search for info on the internet. Perhaps start at: Slime Molds

Peter

[fairplay]

Welcome to WAB Animartco,

Luckily there are only just over 300 species of Slime Mould in Britain, estimated to be about half of the worlds population (but I'm not sure if I believe that), so they shouldn't be too difficult for someone to study (bet they are though !)
In the New Forrest about 130 have been recorded, Warwickshire 150+, and Suffolk about 135 species.

I suppose they all have roughly the same life cycles otherwise they wouldn't be placed within the Myxomycota.
Not too sure what you mean when you ask how 'interchangeable' are they, neither have I heard of the term 'slugs' being used before as they come in all shapes and sizes.

Most fruitbodies usually end up being a dull colour as opposed to an often colourful state when in the plasmodial stage.

Looks like Jim has answered your other question.

Neil.

[CapAndBracket]

There are two types of slime mould (until someone finds more), the small group of cellular slime moulds are supposedly found in any area of leaf litter/humus feeding on bacteria, they spend their lives as single cells until an area becomes depleted of food source then they all get together in a group (pseudoplasmodium) that people call a slug which it can look like, this is a transition stage to forming a fruit body. Apparently there are only about 60 species of cellular slime mould known though they are commonly found.

The plasmodial slime moulds are the large group and like the previous can appear in many forms including flagelate, they often can be found in the plasmodial stage (somewhat like pulsating veins over the substrate) before forming a fruit body.

I believe the clear differences are that cellular slime moulds do not have a flagellate form, do not work in harmony passing nutrients along in a plasmodium and when they form a fruit body it is just an aggregation of cells all having the ability to change into a spore, wheras the plasmodial slime moulds differentiate some becoming spores but many forming a supporting structure .
ref(Myxomycetes, a handbook of slime moulds, Steven L, stephenson and Henry Stempen). you may find this book on the net i have yet to find ings book.

Cheers J.P.