Let me share with you a difference between slime molds and water molds.
| Aspect | Slime Molds | Water Molds |
| Kingdom | Protista | Straminipila |
| Taxonomic Group | Mycetozoa | Oomycetes |
| Cellular Structure | Multicellular, often with a multinucleate mass | Typically filamentous, with coenocytic hyphae |
| Composition of cell Wall | Mostly cellulose or a combination of cellulose and other materials | Cellulose, beta-glucans and other complex carbohydrates |
| Mode of nutrition | Heterotrophic, feeding on bacteria and organic matter | Mostly saprophytic, some are parasitic on plants and animals |
| Type of reproduction | · Asexual (spore formation)
· Sexual (formation of spore-producing structures) |
· Asexual (zoospores) · Sexual (oospores) |
| Habitat | Terrestrial, found in forest floors, decaying logs and other organic matter | Aquatic or terrestrial, often associated with water environments |
| Motility | Can exhibit amoeboid or crawling movement during the plasmodial stage | Zoospores are motile, propelled by a single posterior flagellum |
| Role in Ecosystems | Decomposers, contributing to the breakdown of dead organic material | Some are plant pathogens causing diseases like late blight in potatoes |
| Examples | · Physarum polycephalum
· Dictyostelium discoideum |
· Phytophthora infestans
· Saprolegnia spp |