Which feature distinguishes slime molds from fungi?

• A. Slime molds are always multicellular, while fungi are unicellular.
• B. Slime molds lack chitin in their cell walls, while fungi have chitin.
• C. Slime molds reproduce only sexually, while fungi reproduce only asexually.
• D. Slime molds perform photosynthesis, while fungi do not.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the basic characteristics of fungi. Fungi typically have cell walls made of chitin, a strong, flexible polysaccharide, and they can be unicellular (like yeasts) or multicellular (like molds). They do not perform photosynthesis and reproduce both sexually and asexually.
2. Step 2: Understand the basic characteristics of slime molds. Slime molds are unique protists that do not have chitin in their cell walls. Instead, they have cell walls made of different materials or may lack a rigid cell wall during some life stages. They are not photosynthetic and have complex life cycles involving both sexual and asexual reproduction.
3. Step 3: Compare the cell wall composition between slime molds and fungi. The presence or absence of chitin in the cell wall is a key distinguishing feature. Fungi have chitin, while slime molds do not.
4. Step 4: Evaluate the other options given: slime molds are not always multicellular (they can exist as single cells), they do not perform photosynthesis, and both slime molds and fungi can reproduce sexually and asexually, so these are incorrect distinguishing features.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the correct distinguishing feature is the lack of chitin in slime molds' cell walls compared to fungi, which have chitin.