Plasmodium of a slime mould - Fuligo septica - geograph.org.uk - 920176

Description:

Summary[edit] Description: English: Plasmodium of a slime mould - Fuligo septica. Fuligo septica is one of the most common slime moulds; it is shown here in its "plasmodium" stage, before it has reached maturity. The plasmodium is a mass of naked protoplasm which slowly streams over leaf litter and other material, effectively behaving like a giant amoeba, engulfing bacteria and fungal spores as it goes. Plasmodia often spread out in a fan-shaped pattern, with most of their mass concentrated at the leading edge, as is the case here: this slime mould is heading in the direction of the blades of grass at the bottom of the photo. For most of the plasmodial phase, the slime mould would appear rather more liquid in consistency; it is only at the end of this stage, when it is about to enter the spore-producing phase, that the material begins to knot (or clump) in the manner shown in this photo. The following photo, by another contributor, shows a more typical plasmodium, probably that of the same species, but at an earlier stage: 1458412. Date: 15 August 2007. Source: From geograph.org.uk. Author: Lairich Rig. Attribution(required by the license)Lairich Rig / A slime mould - Fuligo septica (plasmodium) / CC BY-SA 2.0. Lairich Rig / A slime mould - Fuligo septica (plasmodium). Camera location56° 00′ 13″ N, 4° 38′ 42″ W View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap 56.003650; -4.645100. Object location56° 00′ 13″ N, 4° 38′ 41″ W View all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap 56.003660; -4.644600.