An Optical Method for Monitoring Contractile Activity in the Plasmodia of Physarum polycephalum

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Abstract
An optical method was designed for monitoring contractile activities in the plasmodia of P. polycephalum when the plasmodia were migrating and just before the formation of sporangia and spherules. A plasmodium at each stage was mounted under an optical microscope so that it could be viewed as a whole organism. The light at the ocular was partially obstructed by the non-transparent plasmodium, reflecting its deformation. The application of attractants (glucose, maltose, phenylalanine) and repellents (KCl, CaCl2, LaCl3) caused relaxation and contraction of the normal plasmodium. Until just before sporulation and sclerotization the contraction rhythm persisted synchronously, whereas the amplitude of the oscillation gradually diminished. The oscillation period remained at a constant level during fruiting, but was prolonged during sclerotization.

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