Taxonomy and Evolution
The taxonomic classification of Physarum polycephalum is as follows:
Slime Molds are organisms that are descendants of soil amoebas and, according to an article in Genome Research by British and German scientists, are predicted to have evolved over 600 million (likely close to a billion) years ago (Zimmer, 2011). Scientists believe the common traits of all slime molds evolved once they reached land. Evolutionary biologist Sandra Baldauf has hypothesized “they may be as old as the terrestrial ecosystem” adding that “they might be tightly linked to the development of soil on land” (Zimmer, 2011). There are supposedly 900 species of slime molds including both cellular and plasmodial (Jacobson, 2012). Despite the large number of slime mold species that have already been documented Baldauf believes there are many more. Unfortunately, there is not clear documentation of the different species (living or non-living) that are specifically plasmodial slime molds. However, Physarum polycephalum, Dydimium iridis, and Diachea leucopodia are all examples of existing Plasmodial Slime Molds (Department of Botany University of Hawai'i at Manoa, n.d.).
- Domain- Eukarya
- Kingdom- Protista
- Phylum- Myxomycota
- Class- Myxomycetes
- Order- Physarales
- Family- Physaraceae
- Genus- Physarum
- Species- Physarum polycephalum
Slime Molds are organisms that are descendants of soil amoebas and, according to an article in Genome Research by British and German scientists, are predicted to have evolved over 600 million (likely close to a billion) years ago (Zimmer, 2011). Scientists believe the common traits of all slime molds evolved once they reached land. Evolutionary biologist Sandra Baldauf has hypothesized “they may be as old as the terrestrial ecosystem” adding that “they might be tightly linked to the development of soil on land” (Zimmer, 2011). There are supposedly 900 species of slime molds including both cellular and plasmodial (Jacobson, 2012). Despite the large number of slime mold species that have already been documented Baldauf believes there are many more. Unfortunately, there is not clear documentation of the different species (living or non-living) that are specifically plasmodial slime molds. However, Physarum polycephalum, Dydimium iridis, and Diachea leucopodia are all examples of existing Plasmodial Slime Molds (Department of Botany University of Hawai'i at Manoa, n.d.).