Clarke
Celestial Castellan
Posts: 116
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Post by Clarke on Apr 24, 2010 18:49:44 GMT
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Clarke
Celestial Castellan
Posts: 116
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Post by Clarke on Apr 24, 2010 18:50:08 GMT
Introduction: Ein
The Einman Federation, the organization of the diverse states that make up the planet of Ein and, more recently, its off world colonies, is the focal point of a thriving species, the suldija. Ein, is not the first(or, for that matter, the last) place that a non-suldija would search for life. For Ein orbits around a brown dwarf, deep in interstellar space, not a star. No light besides a dull glow eminates from the dwarf, or Sterkar as the suldija call it, but it has two other gifts that it presents Ein, and allow life to thrive on it; gravitational energy and a strong electromagnetic field. While neither gift seems very beneficial, both are crucial to the formation and continuation of life in this remote corner of space.
Before we talk about the native organisms which call Ein their home, we must first understand the nature of the planet(or as some prefer, sub-brown dwarf). Roughly one and a quarter the size of Earth, it maintains most of its original Hydrogen-Helium atmosphere, with no solar wind to blast it away, with a mainly Carbon-Dioxide, Nitgrogen, Methane, and Oxygen atmosphere at the surface level. This thick atmosphere perpetuates an extreme version of the greenhouse effect, allowing it to trap most of the heat produced via geothermal energy, itself greatly increased by Sterkar. This allows surface temperatures to be at the higher end of the methane Triple-point, so that frozen methane is rarely found, but so that the methane cycle still resembles that of water on so-called "habitable" planets. While not tidally locked to Sterkar, its "day" is much longer than that of most terrestrial planets, at roughly eight days. The majority of the surface is covered in a shallow methane "sea" formed through biological origins. This follows Sterkar, forming a high tide-low tide cycle that occilates from high to low every two days, and from high-high to low-high every four days. At its average highest point it reaches roughly three meters deep, and at low the water-ice bedrock is exposed. This creates a "ring" of bare water-ice that migrates constantly across the planet, and the tidal motion quickly erodes all tectonic "land" that may have formed. This is not to say that the environments are similar, however. In some areas high tectonic activity, which would have created mountains otherwise, forms vast plains that only flood during high-high tide(with pieces of land being exposed for short periods of time geologically), and areas that are miles deep and never dry up. There is, however, a varience to the methane sea, in which life gained its first foothold.
The first gift that Sterak gives Ein, gravitational energy, forms the other type of general biome. So-called "hot-spots" focus around or more hydrothermal vents that spew heat and minerals into the surrounding area, melting large zones of bedrock ice-water and evaporating the methane seas for areas around. The stereotypical plan of a hot-spot is a center hydrothermal vent, a mineral-rich water sea that gradually gets shallower as it aproaches the edge, and a large ridge of exposed bedrock ice-water that extends until it gets cold enough for methane to condense once again. In reality, though, these are usually giant collections of hydrothermal vents, causing the hot-spots to extend, in some cases, over a hundred miles. All together, hot-spots account for approximately 3% of the surface area of the planet, and the exposed ice-ridge 2%.
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Clarke
Celestial Castellan
Posts: 116
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Post by Clarke on Apr 25, 2010 2:49:01 GMT
Origin of Early Life and That Which Followed It
Many billions of years ago, roughly 7.8 by prominent suldija paleobiologist's reckoning, the first cells came to inhabit Ein. While there is no argument about where life first started, in the center of the hotspots, or as what they were, early autochemotrophic bacteria that metabolized the rich sulfides in the black smokers, their origin remains a fiercely debated subject. But no matter their origin, life soon exploded across the liquid regions of the globe. At first only a few sulfide-reducing bacteria existed, but soon the biodiversity exploded, with not only new varieties of lithotrophs, but also heterotrophs that fed on them. The most important in the long run, however, were the methanogens. Thriving on the surface of the water, they pumped out literal tons of methane from the abundant hydrogen and carbon dioxide that filled the air. As the amount of hydrogen at the surface shrunk, and clouds and oceans of methane began to cover the surface of the globe, the single cells began splitting apart water to access the hydrogen trapped inside. This was a massive setback energy-wise, but gave those methanogens an advantage over its relatives in areas where hydrogen was scarce, areas that were becoming more and more widespread.
Now, here is where the story of methanogens stops on virtually all "habitable" planets. With the rapid oxygen pollution and competition for surface space spread by cyanobacteria on other climates, methanogens generally never develop into anything interesting. Here, however, the skies were dark. That did not mean they were empty, however. A curious adaption found in a single cell quickly allowed it to outcompete its relatives, by conducting the radiation raining from the planet's companion and using it to split the bonds between hydrogen and oxygen without energy input from the cell. These cells began to grow in string-shaped colonies, which allowed them to better absorb and conduct the radiation. A deformed heterotrophic cell, upon attempting to consume one of these colonies, instead assimilated it into an endosymbiotic relationship with the predator. This lineage of cells soon gained, through similar events as the first, two nuclei(one to control reproduction, and one for cellular functions), and became the dominant cell of the water-ice seas.
But, while the water seas were widespread, they covered a mere 3 percent of the planet's surface. The original colonizers of the ice-rid biomes were decedents of these cells, albeit in a modified form. Large sheets of methanogens began to straddle the area where the ice-ridge met the water-seas, half in and half out. Being out of the water allowed greater access to radiation, and the part of the cell inside the water-sea supplied nutrients and, you guessed it, water. From then on out colonization of the methane seas was relatively straightforward and quick. That which was in the water became horizontal-running roots, and the exterior part adapted for gas exchanged and the absorption of radiation. The evolution of muscles allowed pumping, whose form and beneficial nature can be seen in the next chapter. Fauna and floaters were quick to follow their colonization, as we will see in updates five and six.
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Clarke
Celestial Castellan
Posts: 116
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Post by Clarke on Apr 25, 2010 14:25:32 GMT
Flora I-Kingdom: TonarecapereTonarecapere includes all flora on Ein. Multicellular methanogens capture electromagnetic radiation generated by Serak to split apart hydrogen and helium, they provide the base of the ecosystem. Found anywhere from hotspots, ice ridges, the methane sea, and even the organically created icebergs that float on it, without them life would have run out of materials to metabolize long ago. Four major divisions of Tonarecapere exist, which will be detailed in the following three posts. - Division: Anuludolucea Generic member of AnuludoluceaDivision Anuludolucea is the most widespread division of flora on Ein. Characteristic of the division are three large "rings" that encompass the upper part at equal intervals. These rings serve two purposes. The first, and most important, is the collection of electromagnetic energy. In the center of each ring is a hardened tube that doubles as a skeletal structure. The interior is filled with thousands of cytocoils, cells lined up in single-celled strings, coiled in shape, and possessing high concentrations of conductive materials. If one were to examine the individual cells closely, they would see that most of the organelles, including the nuclei, are located near the exterior of the organism. The so-called tonaplasts, the original endosymbiotic methanogens, are connected together in tight coils in the center, whose ends lead out and and connect to the tonaplasts in the next cell up the chain. Once the tonaplasts feel an electric current running through them, they then bring in water from the interior of their host, and apply it so that the hydrogen and oxygen is released through the exterior membrane. The oxygen and hydrogen diffuse first through the cell, then through the exterior coating of the tube. The arteries of members of the division Anduludolus follow long, winding tracks throughout the body. Starting at the base(which we will get to in a bit), the primary artery comes up the center of the base and up to the top of the organism. There it splits into three parts , wrapping around the exterior of the tubes(primarily the undersides, where the gills are found), before meeting up at the base of the upper bulge. The oxygen carrier in tonarecapere resembles that of haemerythrin, giving it a bright purple hue when oxygenated. Carrying oxygen and hydrogen from the tubes, it releases the oxygen through its gills, exchanging it for carbon dioxide which joins the bloodstream as carbonic acid. We next find ourselves at the base of the organism. In the picture above, all one can see is the top of the organism. This is only half of the organism, however. Underneath the organism, a massive bulb centers the flora and keeps it in place. Near the top of the organism, but just underground, a literal web of roots radiate horizontally at even intervals from the base, joining up to form a spiderweb patter that extends outward for roughly the height of the organism. At each intersection of four roots, a tap root drills downward to gather water. This way the structural integrity of the bedrock below the organism is not destroyed. The bulb itself is primarily composed of a giant storage chamber for whatever oxygen is left in the bloodstream. Oxygen and methane are sent out to the end of the roots to produce heat, which melts the water-ice bedrock. A thick layer of muscle surrounds the chamber, compressing it to form a solid base from which the organisms's muscles can move around. The entire inner wall of the base contracts and expands, acting as a heart to coordinate blood movement from both the roots and the tubes. The outer layer of the bulb is a thick material of the same kind as the tubes, and surrounds the pumping region. Roughly seven centimeters thick, the side facing the heart is what is interesting. There the layer is filled with millions of microscopic chambers leading out to the main chamber via a single pore per chamber, whose interiors are coated with a cell layer two cells thick. The outer layer is composed of muscle cells, pushing blood in and out of the chamber. The inner layer is composed of "digestive" cells, whom combine CO2 and Hydrogen from the bloodstream in their organelles into methane, producing atp for the entire organism. Like all organisms, however, these complex flora would be useless if they had no way to create a near-exact copy of themselves. For this their gills are made to serve a secondary use. Through a process comparable to meiosis, cells split into cells with only one nuclei. The ones without the reproductive nuclei die off, while the ones that do are released onto the gills. From here, three things can happen. Either the cells can travel to another organism through the wind, but this is less common. The most common method in many species is to simply fall onto the methane sea, which because of it being made of methane allow the cells to float, and not dissolve. The intense cold kills many cells, but enough survive to be captured in the bottom area of the gills, which during high-high tide are usually just barely submerged. Another common method is pollination by fauna, but that will be elaborated on later. One the gills have received genetic material, it will be put to use, so that the lower ends of the gills constantly manufacture bud-seeds to release at high tide. These are generally just elongated bulbs, filled with oxygen and methane in different chambers to use as fuel until they can harvest electromagnetic radiation themselves. Once low tide is reached, and the base touches bare water-ice, it will establish roots which will hold it in place when the tide rises. While Anuldolusites can live in many areas in the methane sea, they thrive best in the shallow or normal areas, and can range anywhere from ten centimeters to a massive five meters.
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DarthGrievi
Satellite Scribe
He's watching...
Posts: 61
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Post by DarthGrievi on Apr 26, 2010 1:41:28 GMT
Man, these guys are highly detailed. Any particular reason why "suldija" isn't capitalized?
By God, it looks like you've got a whole ecosystem going here. I'm sorry to sound impatient, though, but I'm really interested in your sapients.
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Clarke
Celestial Castellan
Posts: 116
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Post by Clarke on Apr 26, 2010 1:57:47 GMT
Well, I haven't figured out the fauna yet, I'm still working on Flora. Probably going to be three more updates before fauna. As for the suldija, you don't capitalize human, do you? And I haven't finished their environment yet, so how would I know what they look like?
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DarthGrievi
Satellite Scribe
He's watching...
Posts: 61
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Post by DarthGrievi on Apr 26, 2010 2:03:22 GMT
Ah, I see. You're going from the bottom up, instead of from the top down like most. Interesting approach. Here's hoping you keep up the creative willpower long enough to reach them.
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Post by Razonatair on Apr 26, 2010 4:52:57 GMT
As for the suldija, you don't capitalize human, do you? Interesting thought. Makes a lot of sense, actually. Maybe I'll adopt this for the "tunmu" ;P
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haseri
Satellite Scribe
Posts: 18
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Post by haseri on Apr 26, 2010 6:58:41 GMT
Ah, like in Mass Effect.
Interested on seeing where this is going.
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Clarke
Celestial Castellan
Posts: 116
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Post by Clarke on Apr 26, 2010 21:37:19 GMT
Ah, like in Mass Effect. Interested on seeing where this is going. Err, what? Never played it before. And thanks. I'm working on the fauna, I'm almost up to a cambrian-anaglouge! :D By the way, I left out some reproductive stuff in the last update. Check it out! By the way, flora on Ein have no faculties for heterotrophism. As a result, all energy stockpiles are oxygen and methane. Anyway; Flora II- Division: Navifunicea Members of the division navifunicea are near as widespread as anuludolcites, but instead of living in shallow waters, they live in deeper waters, twenty meters to three meters deep. While their bottom half is a near-exact copy of members of anuludocea, their upper half is widely different, and is what allows it to survive in those regions. One of these differences is the stalk of the organism. While anuludocites have a basic endoskeleton which supports the organism when the tide retreats, because of the wide variance in tide, and the depth of the areas where they live. Navifunicite stems are thin and flexible, made almost completely of insulation with two arteries strung through the center. When the tide lowers, the upper part continues to float at the same level, but the stem bends slightly to accommodate the drop in methane level. The major difference between the two divisions, however, is the area responsible for absorbing electromagnetic radiation. Instead of three rings radiating symmetrically from the sides, three rings in navifunicites overlap in a bullseye-like pattern, connected by three main connecting strips of flesh. The interior structure is almost exactly the same of that of anuludocites, with the rings being connected by arteries that run through the connecting strips. The flotation area does not have to be that large to support even the tallest of navifunicites, because of the extreme buoyancy that methane gives it. Reproduction is carried out in a similar way to that of anuludocea. - Division: Terrahabicea While uncommon in the methane sea, only living in extremely shallow areas that are exposed the majority of the time, they are the only group that can be said to fully live on the ice ridges, as well as the organically-created iceburgs that float the on top of the methane sea. At most only a few centimeters wide, individuals(such as the one pictured above) cluster in massive colonies that can number in the millions. While the other two divisions that we have seen so far are anatomially similar, wide differences between them and terrahabicites have led many leading suldija taxonomists to classify them, and the other simpler flora that will be covered in Flora III, in a sub-kingdom separate from that of anuludocea and navifunicea. For starters, their upper half is not disconnected from the base by a stalk, but simply consists of one great arc of the tube-like collector found in other divisions, accompanied by many other, smaller extensions. Bilaterally symmetrical, however, blood flows from one end and the extensions on it, exiting through the opposite side and its extensions. Instead of the large gills found in other divisions, cilia that coat the top half of the organism, moistened by a water-based fluid thick with organic antifreeze(like almost all blood and fluids in the multicellular organisms on Ein), are more than sufficient for gas exchange. The base is relatively similar to that of the other divisions, except it lies entirely on the surface. Because of their biome and colonial lifestyle, it does not matter if they sink into the surface. A base pump and oxygen-methane reserve are both still found, however. Reproduction is different from that of the other divisions. Instead of budding, members of terrahabicea produce oxygen-methane and spore filled balls, then release them. These will either find their way into the figurative hands of fauna or floaters, dispersing them in their excretions, or will settle. Like other divisions, the oxygen/methane reserve will be used by the spores to fuel growth until they can begin harnessing electromagnetic power themselves.
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Clarke
Celestial Castellan
Posts: 116
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Post by Clarke on Apr 27, 2010 1:53:45 GMT
Flora III- Division: Duodomucea Division duodomucea is similar in form to the early ancestors of the other divisions of flora. Lying half in and half out of the hot-spot, this allows it access to liquid water, yet still life partly on land, where its potential to capture ectromagnetic radiation is greater. The portions of the organism that live in the water process the hydrogen and carbon dioxide, gather water and trace nutrients, and contract muscle tissues to keep blood flowing to the upper portion. The upper portion absorbs electromagnetic radiation, and performs gas exchange using methods similar to that used by division terrahabicea. - Division: Directutelacea Division directutelacea is the only non-specialized group in kingdom Tonarecapere. Surprisingly, though, they are not the ancestors of more complex life, but are the decedents of ancient members of duodomucea, who lost their specialized adaptions as they adopted an easier lifestyle in which such complexity only cost energy, and was not necessary. Only found in hot-spots, they float on top of the water in sheets just a few cells thick. Excess oxygen is released underneath the organism, forming bubbles that allow the organism to float. Edit: By the way, thats the last flora. For now, at least.
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Clarke
Celestial Castellan
Posts: 116
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Post by Clarke on Apr 29, 2010 1:10:37 GMT
Floaters-Kingdom: QuiexuraeKingdom Quiexurae encompasses all "floaters" that live on Ein. Neither flora nor fauna, they are (barely)specialized methanotrophs that float on the methane sea, combining oxygen with methane to form formaldehyde, then combine the formaldehyde and more oxygen with the help of the temperatures created by the burning of methane, releasing water and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Barely specialized, the floater consists of two layers. The lower layer is composed of inflated sacs of methane and oxygen, the oxygen in the interior, which it absorbs from its exterior environment. While it does not need the gas sacs to float on the methane sea, they are the seat of metabolism, the areas where gathered methane and oxygen is stored, and play a vital role in insulating the upper layer from the extreme cold of the methane sea. The upper layer is simpler, consisting of a layer of cells covered in mats of hair-like extensions, rising in a thin cone in the center. These are moistened with antifreeze-laced water, and strain oxygen out of the air. While each floater roughly sizes around a centimeter long, consisting of a single set of each sack and a single gill-column, they grow in colonies that number in the millions and coat the methane sea. It is important to note that oxygen, unlike on many sun-orbiting worlds, has little oxygen. The unlimited energy source of the methane sea ultimately led to oxygen decline, so that the unicellular decedents of the floaters had to invent complex methods of obtaining oxygen, and checking both the number of floaters and the level of the methane sea. The transfer of gases between organisms on Ein is more complex than the simple Co2/O2 cycle on earth. The cycle is shown in the diagram below, in which floaters play a vital role. Purple= Flora Green= Floaters Blue= Fauna Star-shapes represent the formation of ATP.
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UFO King
Satellite Scribe
We've but one Earth on which to live.
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Post by UFO King on Apr 29, 2010 5:32:07 GMT
Are you planning to become a biologist?
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yuu
Celestial Castellan
Posts: 182
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Post by yuu on Apr 29, 2010 11:13:52 GMT
Indeed, this thread is very, very detailed.
Can't wait for the more complex lifeforms to make an appearance.
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Clarke
Celestial Castellan
Posts: 116
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Post by Clarke on Apr 29, 2010 20:04:59 GMT
Are you planning to become a biologist? It would definitely be my dream-job. Indeed, this thread is very, very detailed. Can't wait for the more complex lifeforms to make an appearance. Thanks! Although, arguably, the flora could be considered just as or even more complex than the fauna. :P I'm thinking of doing the next update showing three "primitive" phylums that represent "steps" in suldija evolution, then an anatomy diagram of the suldija, and finally elaborate on a few other groups of fauna before working on culture, history, technology, etc.
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