The Occurrence and Distribution of Acrasieae in Forest Soils. I. Europe

The deciduous forests of Europe contain fewer species of cellular slime molds than those of Eastern North America. Diclyostelium mucoroides is the most widely distributed and the most abundant species. In Europe this species is as a rule the sole dominant species in a forest‐soil acrasian population, a situation that rarely occurs in North America. An explanation of this difference may lie in the severity of the Pleistocene climate on European forests which resulted in the elimination of suitable habitats for the Acrasieae over a long period of time, and the replacement of the original forest by one much poorer in tree species. It is suggested that this modern forest does not offer the diverse of habitat which may be requited to support a mixed population of cellular slime molds.