Plasmodium (Noun)
Meaning 1
Multinucleate sheet of cytoplasm characteristic of some stages of such organisms as slime molds.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- A plasmodium is the vegetative stage in the life cycle of slime molds and consists of a multinucleate mass of cytoplasm.
- In some slime molds the plasmodium can be brightly colored and large enough to be seen with the naked eye.
- When environmental conditions are unfavorable the plasmodium can differentiate into spores.
- Plasmodium slime molds exhibit amoeboid movement through the contraction and relaxation of actin filaments within the plasmodium.
- In laboratory experiments a plasmodium is often cultured in a petri dish with an oat flake providing a source of nutrients.
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
Parasitic protozoan of the genus Plasmodium that causes malaria in humans.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.