New Zealand Fungi and Lichens

DSC_2908 'Honeycomb Coral' slime mould (Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa) clustered on the underside a dead beech log in Mountain beech forest. While not fungi, slime molds can form spore-bearing structures that resemble those of the true fungi. Slime molds form masses of protoplasm (called plasmodia) without cell walls, which can move about and engulf particles of food in an amoeboid manner. Slime mold plasmodia creep over surfaces engulfing bacteria, spores of fungi and plants, protozoa, and particles of nonliving organic matter. Mavora Lakes *