Question

Read the paragraph from the section "Cellular Slime Molds."

Single-celled organisms can aggregate to form a multicellular structure. One example is the cellular slime molds, a type of amoeba. These social amoebae will function as individual organisms when soil nutrients are present. In times of low nutrients, however, they band together into a slug-like form. They migrate together in search of food.

Which word from the paragraph suggests that amoebae go through a process in which they can join together?
(A) organisms
(B) aggregate
(C) cellular
(D) function

Answer 1

The word 'aggregate' from the paragraph indicates that amoebae can join together to form a multicellular structure, particularly when the availability of soil nutrients is low.

Step-by-step explanation:

The word from the paragraph that suggests that amoebae can join together is 'aggregate'. This process, referred to as aggregation, involves single-celled cellular slime molds coming together to form a multicellular structure under conditions of low nutrients.

They primarily function as individual organisms when soil nutrients are plentiful, yet they exhibit this remarkable ability to coalesce into a collective form, behaving as one entity, referred to as a slug, to migrate and search for food. An example of a cellular slime mold that displays this phenomenon is Dictyostelium discoideum.