Not to Let Walt Have all the Fun!

Images made through a microscope. All subject types.

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Ken Ramos
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Not to Let Walt Have all the Fun!

Post by Ken Ramos »

Here are some images from my archives of a plasmodium, which I also called my "pet amoeba," from some of my myxo excursions. I managed to keep and feed this critter for about two months hoping that it would produce fruiting bodies but alas, it finally just died. I am not a very good plasmodium foster parent I suppose. :( The last image is that of the plasmodium scarffing up on a dead baby termite. :lol: Actually it is feeding off of the bacteria associated with the baby termites decomposition. :wink:

Image
Pseudopodia all over the place! :wink:

Image
Plasmodium
Meiji EMZ-13TR w/Sony DSC-W5

beetleman
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Post by beetleman »

Excellent pictures Ken. So, this thing lived for two months and moved around the petri dish? Is it on any kind of substrate or just glass with some moisture on the bottom? "VERY COOL"
Take Nothing but Pictures--Leave Nothing but Footprints.
Doug Breda

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

I kept a moist piece of the wood that I found it on lying in the dish Doug. It crawled on and off of it whenever I placed some sort of food in there that would spawn a bacterial growth. It got out once and I supposed it sensed there was something outside the petri dish it wanted, I started to put it back in but decided to wait a bit to see what would happen. Either the desk top was too dry and not to its liking or it figured there was nothing there to begin with worth slithering over. It slowely returned to its dish and I replaced the cover. The whole thing took about and hour or there abouts. Plasmodia can get really large too! :D

beetleman
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Post by beetleman »

We will have to give that the two "C"s....Creepy & Cool
Take Nothing but Pictures--Leave Nothing but Footprints.
Doug Breda

Wim van Egmond
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Post by Wim van Egmond »

But it was a nice swarm, Ken! :)

Wouldn't it be an idea to make a time lapse series of a myxomycete?

Wim

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Wim asked:
Wouldn't it be an idea to make a time lapse series of a myxomycete?
Indeed it would but we would need a plasmodium and a way of knowing just when the fruiting would occur. The fruiting to my understanding is still quite a mystery. Maybe Walt would have some info on this since he has been at them much longer than I. I would be interested in reading what you would have to say on this Walt. :wink:

Thanks Wim for your comment and suggestion :D , it was a nice swarm while it lasted. I looked for a new one this summer but was unable to find one. Plasmodia are quite elusive but every now and then.... :D

Walter Piorkowski
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Post by Walter Piorkowski »

Hi Wim, Ken. A time laps would be nice but probably the only part of the process you would be able to record from my limited experience would be the plasmodial movement and the dry out and rupture of the sporangia once a suitable fruiting body had been issolated.

It is my experiance that finding a plasmodium as Ken rightly states is not a precurser to having a fruiting body appear. The only plasmodium I ever saw in the field just diappearred after a few days and I never knew when it desided to send up its fruiting bodies. I unfortunatly am not a researcher just a hobbiest and don't have the unlimited amount of time to study these entities.

As far as the fruiting body development into the sporing stage, to be honest I believe that you would have to leave the specimen and the camera in the original location of discovery. I have never been able to take a wet fruiting body out of its enviormnment and expect it to do anything but shribble up and I really tryed to duplicate temperature, humidity etc.

But what the hek, you guys may be more successfull.

Walt

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

As I said Walt, I have only captured one and kept it for a month or two and was successful in keeping it nourished but unsuccessful in it producing fruiting bodies. Location and environmental factors as you mentioned must really be taken into account as you have stated, for this, fruitification, to occur I am assuming also. :D

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