Slime mould Physarum polycephalum
The slime mould is a single-celled organism, but one that is easily visible to the naked eye, for example on a tree stump in a damp forest.
What is a slime mould?
This yellow slime mould is an ‘amoebozoa’ and is well known for its mobility. Literally translated from Latin, Physarum polycephalum means ‘multiple heads’. All of these ‘heads’ actually consist of a single cell containing numerous cell nuclei that work together and can change shape, enabling this unique organism to search for nutritious food.
Brainless genius
Although it lacks a brain, the slime fungus has demonstrated instances of ‘intelligent’ behaviour in a variety of tests. For example, when placed in a maze in which food was located in two spots, it changed shape in such a way that it could take the shortest route to the food. The slimy mass responds primarily to chemical signals, and is also capable of ‘remembering’ things, such as whether it has already been somewhere. We can see this by the way that it avoids that specific place. Quite amazing for a brainless creature!
Detective
But how does the slime mould find its food? Physarum polycephalum doesn't just grow in a random direction hoping to come across something. Similar to the way we can smell freshly baked bread, this single-celled amoebozoa can also ‘smell’ things with the receptors on its outer surface. These receptors are tiny proteins that capture odour molecules and then send a signal to the slime mould. All it then has to do is follow its ‘nose’!
Want to learn more about microbes?
At ARTIS-Micropia you can see how Physarum polycephalum easily finds its way through a maze, in search of a tasty oat flake. Come in and discover many more fascinating microbes at the museum.