What Are Cellular Slime Moulds of Kingdom Protista?

Cellular Slime Moulds are also known as Acrasiomycetes. They normally occur in humus containing soil. Their somatic phase consists of uninucleate cells known as myxamoebae. They are amoeba like cells without any cell wall. They have plasma membrane and they feed on bacteria. They have holotrophic mode of nutrition. Myxamoebae secrete a rigid cell wall known as microcyst under not so favorable conditions. They can be dispersed and when the conditions are favorable they can rupture and release myxamoebae. Similarly like acellular slime moulds these types react when there is food scarcity. The cells aggregate without fusion and are known as Pseudoplasmodium. That’s why there also known as communal slime moulds. Amoeboid cells release cyclic adenosine mono phosphate. They are referred as advanced protists or early fungi. The cells of pseudoplasmodium differentiate and move to give a stalked appearance known as sporocarp. They have sporangium at its end. The sporangium has cells which later on become spores. They are rounded and are surrounded by cell wall. Later on they may germinate to produce amoeba like structure which is known as myxamoeba. Then they form clusters and the myxamoeba which is present in the centre engulfs another myxamoeba. It increases in size and form zygote. Zygote is also referred as Macrocyst. The cellular slime moulds have features which are combination of plants and animals. In the reproductive phase they form spores and are covered by cell wall. These features are characteristic of plants. However in the vegetative phase they have no cell wall and it responds to animal phase. Cellular slime moulds have certain significance which is mentioned below. They serve as first choice material for study of changes in protoplasm. They move over the plants and make them non aesthetic.