BIO 203

Nutrition

It may be interesting to find out that slime molds are heterotrophic organisms! This means they can not make their own food and require other organisms to gain nutrients. Slime molds go through a process called "phagocytosis" in order to gain the necessary nutrients. This simply means that the slime mold engulfs its food items and internally digests it. So this leads to the question: "What exactly do slime molds 'engulf'?"

Well, slime molds tend to have a varied preference for food. They can utilize many different substances as food. Some of these substances include: decaying leaves, logs and dung. But the slime mold will also engulf other microscopic organisms such as bacteria, yeasts, and other small protists!



          









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