Studies on Life Cycle of Physarum Gyrosum and Other Myxomycetes

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Abstract
Spore germination in Physarum gyrosum was by Gilbert's split method although the addition of cellulase changed germination to the pore method. Although the swarm cell and the myxameba were reversible stages, the swarm cell was usually transitory. Cell division was preceded by mitosis and occurred only in the myxameba stage. Two basal bodies indicated that the swarm cells were potentially biflagellate but two flagella were not always visible. Pseudoflagella were commonly observed. The flagellum was contractile and undulated in a spiral, causing the protoplast to gyrate and rotate while traveling in a spiral. Plasmogamy occurred either between swarm cells or between myxamebae. Karyogamy occurred 15–180 min later. Plasmodia resulted from either mitosis in a zygote or from fusion between zygotes. Mitosis in a two-nucleate plasmodium was synchronous. Mature plasmodia conformed to Alexopoulos' phaneroplasmodium. Meiosis was only tentatively identified and the method of capillitium formation was not determined.