Diversity of Protists IV

Amoebozoa protists are characterized by their lobe-shaped pseudopodia. It includes gymnamoebas, entamoebas, and plasmodial and cellular slime molds.

Gymnamoebas, such as Amoeba species, are free-living protists that inhabit aquatic and soil environments.

In contrast, entamoebas are parasitic and primarily inhabit the oral cavity or intestinal tract of vertebrates and invertebrates. The human pathogen Entamoeba histolytica is a notable example.

Slime molds are motile fungi-like protists that produce fruiting bodies containing spores for dispersal.

Plasmodial slime molds like Physarum typically exist as a single mass known as a plasmodium in their vegetative stage, which contains multiple diploid nuclei.

A plasmodium is motile and produces sporangia containing haploid spores. Under favorable conditions, these spores develop into flagellated swarm cells that fuse to regenerate a diploid plasmodium.

In contrast, cellular slime molds like Dictyostelium exist as individual haploid cells in their vegetative state. If starved, they aggregate together, form motile masses, and transform into fruiting bodies.