336 



PROTOZOOLOGY 



When lack of food material occurs, the Plasmodium undergoes 

 changes and develops sporangia. The first indication of this process 

 is the appearance of lobular masses of protoplasm in various parts 

 of the body (/, g). These masses are at first connected with the stream- 

 ing protoplasmic thickenings, but later become completely segre- 

 gated into young sporangia. During the course of sporangium-for- 

 mation, foreign bodies are thrown out of the body, and around each 



Fig. 156. The life-cycle of the endosporous mycetozoan (de Bary, 

 Lister, and others), a, plasmodium-formation by fusion of numerous 

 myxamoebae; b, c, formation of sclerotium; d, e, germination of sclero- 

 tium and formation of plasmodium; f, portion of a Plasmodium showing 

 streaming protoplasmic thickenings; g, h, formation of sporangia; i, a 

 sporangium opened, showing capillitium; j, a spore; k, germination of 

 spore; I, myxamoeba; m, n, myxoflagellates; o-q, multiplication of 

 myxoflagellate; r, microcyst; s, myxamoeba. Variously magnified. 



sporangium there is secreted a wall which, when mature, possesses a 

 wrinkled appearance (h). The wall continues down to the substra- 

 tum as a slender stalk of varying length, and in many genera the end 

 of a stalk spreads into a network over the substratum, which forms 



