noun retÂ·roÂ·gresÂ·sion \Ëre-trÉ-Ëgresh-Én\. : a reversal in development or condition: asa: return to a former and less complex level of development or organizationb: subsidence or decline of symptoms or manifestations of a disease.
Habitat. Slime molds live in somewhat variable habitats all over the world. Generally slime molds live in damp areas of vegetation. They live under rotting logs and damp leaves. Some of the other habitats that slime molds will inhabit include water such as tropical fish tanks.
There are two major unrelated phyla of slime molds. The Myxomycota are the true (plasmoidal) slime molds, and the Dictyosteliomycota are the cellular slime molds. Both were formerly classified as fungi but are now considered protists. Slime molds are often found on old, well-rotted logs because there they can find the moisture and bacteria required for survival. Their small, delicate fruiting bodies tend to be fungal in appearance. Most of the fruiting bodies are only a millimeter or two in height, and therefore often difficult to notice.