Natur Cymru is a quarterly magazine about the wildlife and environment of Wales. As of 1st April 2017 Natur Cymru has ceased publishing. We hope this is a temporary situation. Back copies are still available for sale, please see our website for full details and to find out more about Natur Cymru and its role in reporting on Welsh wildlife www.naturcymru.org.uk
Bruce Ing, who has written an excellent article on slime moulds for the next edition of Natur Cymru, is appearing in a BBC documentary called After Life. The 90 minute programme will be broadcast on Tuesday 6th December at 9pm.
Bruce with a slime mould
Details of the programme can be found on the After Life website which includes some gruesome footage of amongst other things a rat being disposed of by sexton beetles, time lapsed of course.
The programme is all about the science of decay. A ‘rot box’ has been created at Edinburgh Zoo simulating a typical kitchen and garden in which normal household items are consumed by an array of maggots, fruit flies, different bacteria and so on ..... including, I assume, some slime moulds which feed on the bacteria? Anyhow, best not second guess, watch the programme instead.
A marine theme with articles on seals, sea slugs and smelt plus seabird tracking, sustainable mussel dredging and bristleworms. Also in this edition an introduction to the mysterious world of slime moulds and Cwm Idwal as seen through the eyes of its warden.
The stunning front cover titled 'Bass in the Kelp' was kindly provided by David Miller. Limited edition prints, signed and numbered by the artist, are available: www.davidmillerart.co.uk
01994 453545.
Last Sunday I was very privileged to meet up with Bruce Ing the expert on slime moulds. In an interview for the Radio Wales Country Focus programme (Sunday 6th November 07:00), he explained that they were neither slimy nor moulds. During the walk around Loggerheads Country Park, appropriately near Mold, Bruce found several species and explained the lifecycle of these beautiful organisms. Although they share similar characteristics to fungi they are very different and in a class of their own.
Now is a good time of year to see them as they emerge to spore – some are tiny and difficult to spot although Brefeldia maxima (they don’t have English or Welsh names) is quite easy. It’s the largest of the species and has been seen at Loggerheads up to a square metre in size looking like a bucket of cold porridge eventually turning to a pile of black soot.
Typically they are found on decaying wood, but it’s not the slime moulds that cause the wood to rot, that’s the bacteria which they feed on.
I was truly amazed with the wondrous specimens, or pyramids of amoebas, which we saw through a hand lens and intrigued by their bizarre lifecycle. For the sake of the interview I had to ask the ‘so what’ question. Bruce was well rehearsed in his response, with benefits for both agriculture and medicine, but I particularly liked its potential for treating ulcerous conditions caused by a bacteria which can’t be sorted by current anti-biotics. ‘Maybe we can develop a slime mould that will eat the bacteria. It’s difficult to develop immunity from something that’s eating you. The challenge will be making sure it doesn’t go on to eat the patient.’
A type of Physarum
If you want to learn more about the subject read Bruce's article in Natur Cymru due out December 2011. His book "The Myxomycetes of Britian and Ireland - An Identification Handbook" is out of print but the good news is that it is being republished in 2012 with some additional content.
