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The slime moulds in the vegetative stage of their life cycle exist as individual amoebae, which are non-polarised cells that move about and engulf bacteria, growing and dividing as autonomous individuals. They pay no attention to one another.

When food supplies run out, the behaviour of the amoebae changes dramatically and they enter into a cooperative form of interaction. They start chemically signalling to one another, moving towards the signals so that they aggregate. Signals propagate from cell to cell.

In response to the signal, the amoebae send out a pseudo-pod in the direction from which the signals come and so move towards the source. The signal can propagate with a spiral motion. At the centre of such a spiral is a circle of cells that are stimulating one another and the signal propagates out from this circular source as in a Catherine Wheel.

Once the cells have become sticky and joined together, the coherent whole subsequently transforms into an organism of characteristic form, consisting of different cell types. This strange looking creature is known as a slug. Although microscopic, it contains several thousand cells.

The slug migrates continuously over the surface of rotting vegetation which is its natural habitat. During this period of migration, two types of cells differentiate. They are known as the pre-stalk and the pre-spore cells.

After a period of migration, the slugs stop moving and settle down. The stalk cells then form a column up which the spore cells move. At this stage, the two cell types become obvious and they separate from one another to form the structure known as the fruiting body. . The spores on the fruiting body facilitate the distribution and spread of the organisms in their habitat

When moist conditions occur, the spores are released and the amoebae then remerge and start the life cycle over again

The slime mould starts off as an aggregate of cells that spontaneously generate polarised structures. Pattern formation and maintenance of form is a dynamic process that depends on the interaction of cells and the formation of polarised structures. Presumably the type of processes occurring in slime mould … equally applies throughout all organisms in the living world.

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Play with the cards by moving them around with the mouse until you find their natural order!