Slime molds are an example of which category?

• A. Fungus-like protists
• B. True fungi
• C. Plants
• D. Bacteria

Answer: (A)

Slime molds are fungus-like protists because they are eukaryotic microorganisms that resemble fungi in some life stages (with fruiting bodies) but are not true fungi. They belong to the protist kingdom and feed by engulfing food (phagocytosis) rather than absorbing nutrients from the surroundings like fungi do with enzymes. They lack the characteristic hyphae and chitin-containing cell walls of true fungi, and they do not perform photosynthesis like plants. They’re also not bacteria, since bacteria are prokaryotic and slime molds are multicellular, complex eukaryotes with a more advanced cellular organization. Thus, the best category is fungus-like protists.