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Slime mould, light micrograph
Light micrograph of partly opened fruiting bodies from the slime mould Physarum psittacinum, revealing the spores (black). The spores will germinate into free-living, single-celled amoeba. The amoeba aggregate to form a plasmodium, a large single cell with multiple nuclei. The plasmodium can move slowly, feeding on bacteria, fungi and decaying matter. In poor conditions the plasmodium forms fruiting bodies and the life cycle begins again. Slime moulds were once classified as fungi but are now classified as protozoa. Specimen collected in the Northern Black Forest National Park, Germany. Magnification 30 when printed at 15cm wide., by EYE OF SCIENCE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
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