myxobacterium
- noun
- /mɪksoʊˈbæktɪriəm/
- Specialized
- The myxobacterium moved across the moist soil by producing a slime trail.
Examples
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Scientists studied a colony of myxobacterium thriving in the decaying leaf litter.
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Researchers discovered a new species of myxobacterium in the soil.
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Researchers discovered a new species of myxobacterium in animal waste.
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The myxobacterium thrives in damp environments.
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Scientists studied a colony of myxobacterium thriving in the decaying leaf litter.
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Researchers discovered a new species of myxobacterium in animal waste.
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The myxobacterium moved across the moist soil by producing a slime trail.
Synonyms
A bacterium that makes slime and lives in wet soil
Tiny living things that form slimy colonies in damp soil or rotting plants
Tiny living cells that move smoothly over wet surfaces using slime, often in soil or decaying plants
A kind of bacteria that forms fruiting bodies, moves by gliding, and lives in groups
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word myxobacterium starts with myxo- meaning 'slime' or 'mucus' and ends with bacterium, the same root as bacteria meaning a 'small living thing'. So, a myxobacterium is literally a 'slime bacterium', which fits its modern meaning as a bacterium that makes slime and forms groups in moist soil or rotting material.