Division Arasiomycota comprises the cellular slime molds. The slime molds are unicellular, colonial, and multicellular at different stages of their life cycles. They thrive in moist environments with bacteria, usually on decaying organic matter. There are two main group of slime molds: the cellular slime molds and the plasmodial slime molds. Usually, when there are high numebrs of bacteria available as food, cellular slime molds are solitary amoeboid cells, engulfing bacteria and moving with pseudopodia (see Protozoa). These amoeboid cells reproduce through mitotic divisions as long as there is enough food. When bacteria become scarce, however, the amoeboid cells aggregate into a sluglike colony, which soon grow into a multicellular reproductive structure. In these two stages, the individual cells secret a slimy covering (hence the name) coated with cellulose. The slime molds are not closely related to any other living organisms.
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