Detailed analyses into the life cycle of the soil-dwelling microbe Dictyostelium discoideum led to the conclusion that this “social amoeba” practices some form of “non-monoculture farming” via the transfer of bacteria to novel environments. Herein, we show that in myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds or myxogastrids) a similar “farming symbiosis” has evolved. Based on laboratory studies of two representative species in the genera Fuligo and Didymium, the sexual life cycle of these enigmatic microbes that feed on bacteria was reconstructed, with reference to plasmo- and karyogamy. We document that the spores carry and transfer bacteria and hence may inoculate new habitats. The significance of this finding with respect to Ernst Haeckel’s work on myxomycetes and his concept of ecology are addressed.

中文翻译：

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血浆粘液霉菌和微生物饲养的演变。

对土壤微生物迪斯科网柄菌的生命周期进行了详细分析，得出的结论是，这种“社会变形虫”通过将细菌转移到新的环境中来进行某种形式的“非单一栽培农业”。在本文中，我们表明在粘菌丝（浆状粘液霉菌或粘菌丝）中，已经发生了类似的“农业共生”。基于对Fuligo和Didymium属中两个代表性物种的实验室研究，参照血浆和核型，重建了这些以细菌为食的神秘微生物的性生活周期。我们记录了孢子携带和转移细菌，因此可能接种新的栖息地。论述了这一发现对于恩斯特·海克尔（Ernst Haeckel）关于粘菌的工作及其生态学概念的意义。