The class does not form a "solid piece" or a single fused mass at any point in its life cycle. Instead, these organisms are defined as cellular slime molds , meaning they maintain their individual cell membranes at all times.
To understand why Acrasiomycetes do not form a solid or continuous piece, it is helpful to look at how they compare to "true" slime molds: acrasiomycetes
: Because they never fuse their cell membranes, they are often used by scientists to study how single-celled life evolved the ability to cooperate and build multicellular organisms. The class does not form a "solid piece"
: The individual amoebas move by abruptly extending lobe-like "false feet" to pull themselves forward. : The individual amoebas move by abruptly extending
The confusion likely stems from comparing them to a different group of slime molds. 🔬 Acrasiomycetes vs. Myxomycetes
: They exist as individual, independent amoebas. When food runs out, they swarm together to build a multicellular fruiting body called a sorocarp. Even when tightly packed together to move or build this structure, they remain separate cells with their own individual cell walls or membranes.