![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Physarum_polycephalum_plasmodium.jpg/640px-Physarum_polycephalum_plasmodium.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Physarum polycephalum
Species of slime mold, model organism / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Physarum polycephalum, an acellular[1] slime mold or myxomycete popularly known as "the blob",[2] is a protist with diverse cellular forms and broad geographic distribution. The “acellular” moniker derives from the plasmodial stage of the life cycle: the plasmodium is a bright yellow macroscopic multinucleate coenocyte shaped in a network of interlaced tubes. This stage of the life cycle, along with its preference for damp shady habitats, likely contributed to the original mischaracterization of the organism as a fungus. P. polycephalum is used as a model organism for research into motility, cellular differentiation, chemotaxis, cellular compatibility, and the cell cycle.
Physarum polycephalum | |
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P. polycephalum plasmodium on tree bark | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Phylum: | Amoebozoa |
Class: | Myxogastria |
Order: | Physarales |
Family: | Physaraceae |
Genus: | Physarum |
Species: | P. polycephalum |
Binomial name | |
Physarum polycephalum | |
![The life cycle of Physarum polycephalum. The outer circuit illustrates the natural cycle alternating between the haploid amoebal stage and diploid plasmodial stage. The inner circuit illustrates the fully haploid "apogamic" life cycle. Both cycles exhibit all developmental stages.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/1n%2B2nLC.gif/640px-1n%2B2nLC.gif)