The confusion likely stems from comparing them to a different group of slime molds. đŸ”¬ Acrasiomycetes vs. Myxomycetes
The class does not form a "solid piece" or a single fused mass at any point in its life cycle. Instead, these organisms are defined as cellular slime molds , meaning they maintain their individual cell membranes at all times. acrasiomycetes
: They live independently in soil or decaying plant matter eating bacteria. They only come together into a visible structure as a survival mechanism to cast off spores. The confusion likely stems from comparing them to
: Because they never fuse their cell membranes, they are often used by scientists to study how single-celled life evolved the ability to cooperate and build multicellular organisms. acrasiomycetes