CK12 Life Science

Table 9.2:Fungus-like Protists

Protist Source of Carbon Environment Characteristics

omycetes: water
molds (Figure9.6)

decompose remains,

parasites of plants

and animals

most live in water Causes a range of
diseases in plants;
common problem in
greenhouses where
the organism kills
newly emerged
seedlings; have
been employed as
biocontrol agents;
includes the downy
mildews, which are
easily identifiable by
the appearance of
white ”mildew” on
leaf surfaces.
Mycetozoa: slime
molds (Figure9.5)

disposeofdeadplant

material, feed on

bacteria

common in soil, on

lawns,andinthefor-

est commonly on de-

ciduous logs

Includes the cellular

slime mold, which

involves numerous

individual cells

attached to each

other, forming one

large ”supercell,”

essentially a bag

of cytoplasm con-

taining thousands

of individual nuclei.

The plasmodial

slime molds spend

most of their lives

as individual unicel-

lular protists, but

when a chemical

signal is secreted,

they assemble into a

cluster that acts as

one organism.