Slime Mold: Species

Summary: How many species of slime mold do you think there are? You’d be surprised! Join Kiersten and a guest co-host as she talk about the different species of slime mold.

 

For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean

 

Summary: “What is Slime Mold?” By Stephen C. George. Discover Magazine, Apr 21, 2023. https://www.discovermagazine.com

“Slime Molds” by Dr. Sharon M. Douglas, Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. https://portal.ct.gov

“The Biota of the Gordon Natural Area - Slime Molds.” https://www.wcupa.edu

 

Transcript 

(Piano music plays)

Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.

(Piano music stops)

Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 

This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.

In the third episode we’re going to talk about how many different species of slime molds scientists are currently know exist. If you rsememrb from episode one, its a lot! To discuss this topic, I’ve asked a previous guest to help me out.

Welcome, Georgiy! Thanks for helping me talk about slime mold!

 

Georgiy: You’re welcome!

 

Kiersten: Do you know how many different slimes molds there are?

 

Georgiy: You just said a lot.

Kiersten: I did but that’s not a very good numerical description. Did you listen to the first episode of this series? You didn’t did you!

 

Georgiy: Meep! No comment.

 

Kiersten: I’m not sure how I feel about that, but why don’t you try to guess how many species of slime mold we currently know about?

 

Georgiy: (Guess)

 

Kiersten: Is that your final answer?

 

Georgiy: Maybe…

 

Kiersten: Do you want me to just tell you?

 

Georgiy: Yes, please.

 

Kiersten: Over 1,000 different species of slime molds have been recorded.

 

Georgiy: That’s a lot!

 

Kiersten: That’s what I said! 

 

Georgiy: I heard that some of them have some strange names. Isn’t there one called dog vomit?

 

Kiersten: Yes, there is one called dog vomit. That one is also called scrambled egg slime mold. Fuligo septica is the scientific name for the dog vomit slime mold. It’s an extremely common specimen. It can also vary in color from white, yellow, orange, to red. Do you know hay the color can vary so much?

 

Georgiy: Maybe because of something it eats?

 

Kiersten: That’s right! At least one reason it can vary in color is what it eats. Temperature and pH levels can also impact the color. I have some pictures here of different slime molds, do you want to help me describe them to our listeners?

 

Georgiy: Sure.

 

Kiersten: Okay, here’s the first one. The scientific name is Arcyria cinerea. What does this one look like?

 

Georgiy: Describe it. Carpet fibers. A close-up picture of white carpet fibers. Five fluffy. oblong structures are attached to one stock.

 

Kiersten: The common name of this one is white carnival candy slime mold. Take a look at Ceratiomyxa porioides. Can you describe this one?

 

Georgiy: Looks like a shower loofa! It’s white with structured chambers.

 

Kiersten: This one’s common name is coral slime. Let’s look at one more. Check out Tubifera ferruginosa.  

 

Georgiy: It looks like red shaved ice. A snow cone with red flavorin

 

Kiersten: I like this one. It’s such a pretty shade of red. Its common name is Raspberry slime mold.

 

Georgiy: That’s great name for it. Let’s look at another one.

 

Kiersten: Okay, but this is the last one. We can’t look at all of them! With over 1000 known species we’d be here for a long time and this episode in only ten minutes! How about Trichia scabra?

 

Georgiy: They look like little orange bee-bees. They are all lined up together.

 

Kiersten: I think you could easily overlook this one, but it’s common name is cool. Saffron soldiers!

 

Georgiy: It is the color of saffron, that orange-yellow color and they are lined up like soldiers. Saffron is a spice that’s pretty tasty isn’t it?

 

Kiersten: It is! From the research I’ve done for these episodes it seems you can eat slime mold. No one recommends it, but most of them appear to be non-toxic. Just to make this clear, we’re are not recommending you eat slime mold. Right?

 

Georgiy: Right!

 

Kiersten: So, Georgiy…what do you think about slime mold?

 

Georgiy: I think it’s pretty cool! There are so many species in so many colors and shapes.

 

Kiersten: Thanks for helping me talk about the different types of slime molds today.

 

Georgiy: You’re welcome!

 

Kiersten: We’re just getting started with slime molds and my third favorite thing about them is that there is over 1,000 unique species.

 

If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change. 

 

Join me next week for another episode about slime mold.    

 

(Piano Music plays) 

This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.