1,887
edits
Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
*Growing Plasmodia | *Growing Plasmodia | ||
#Materials: | # Materials: | ||
Petri dish (glass or plastic, need not be sterile) or other suitable container. | Petri dish (glass or plastic, need not be sterile) or other suitable container. | ||
Paper towels (white is best, brown will work). | Paper towels (white is best, brown will work). | ||
Line 42: | Line 42: | ||
Tap water. | Tap water. | ||
A plasmodium or sclerotium-available from biological supply houses. | A plasmodium or sclerotium-available from biological supply houses. | ||
# Methods: | |||
Cover container bottom with piece of paper towel. | |||
Place piece of living plasmodium or sclerotium on paper towel. | |||
Moisten paper towel with tap water and drain off excess water. | |||
Add one oat flake near slime mold. | |||
Place lid over dish and place in a dark place at room temperature (e.g. place in a drawer or closet). | |||
Next day examine culture and sprinkle with water to give Physarum a gentle rinse and pour off excess water (rinsing improves growth). Add 1-3 additional oat flakes near advancing front of plasmodium. | |||
Continue to examine, rinse, and feed daily or every few days. | |||
''Additional cultures are easily made by transferring a plasmodial covered oat flake to another container. Producing several cultures is desirable to ensure that you don't loose an only culture due to a unforeseen failure of a plasmodium. Also, having more than one culture allows you to test the effects of different treatments on the slime mold (e.g. exposure to light, cold, different food sources, etc.).'' |
edits