Magnustella: aquatic and intertidal grazer, armoured all-consuming blob.
Genetic diversity: low (cloning).
Description: small-medium animal with radial symmetry, partial buoyancy, basic olfactory sense, and a large motile fringe used for crawling, to enhance oxygen absorption, and to seal in strong digestive juices which are exuded directly onto food items on the seafloor, for external digestion. Thick flexible skin for protection, digestive juices can also be used as a defensive weapon.
Species Name: Gistantua
Ancestor Species: Magnustella
Selective Pressure: Occasional predation from Fossornatus
Primary Mutation: The outer cells on the central blob begin depositting a calcite type material. As the creature grows new layers are depositted under the previous, raising the smaller covering up. The outer fringes continue to be free and uncovered.
Secondary Mutation(s): Small tubuals develop that help transport oxygen and digested nutrients inward towards the creature's bulbous center.
Alriiight, get this back on track after NESCrafting and multiple procrastinations. And my apologies. If anyone else wanted to post an evolution please do so NAO.
Millions of years after the end-Legonian extinction event, the planet’s oceans finally recovered to their previous health. Two large continents remained moist and fertile, but still largely devoid of any complex life beyond shorelines and riverbanks; it was in the lakes, rivers, swamps, oceans and extensive tidal zones that life flourished...
The Fossornatus and its descendents continued to reign supreme - the most active, versatile and predatory of all animals, sharpened by the dark days of the Legonian extinction and the struggle to recover afterwards. The new Fossornida grew eyes and branched in two directions: the Daedatus was the new apex predator, larger and more powerful thanks to development of its circulation system, it was able to bully its siblings. Its vision was similar to that seen in other branches of the Spiculadae family, relying on clusters of highly adapted, light-sensitive spike cells, in this case arranged in six eye spots to detect movement in a wide arc. It cruised the shallows and the new Vivius reefs looking for anything that moved.
But in terms of sheer biomasss, the Daedatus was greatly outweighed by the Servoleto - a branch of Fossornids that stayed slender and flexible, developing its harpoons into true predatory weapons capable of seizing small prey on the run. These grapsing harpoons evolved in concert with improved eyesight; quite unique among the Spiculids, Servoleto developed a pair of spirals containing light sensitive cells, forming binoculars that specialised in depth perception and judging the distance to its prey - albeit primitively, but nonetheless a vital advantage for aiming its harpoon attacks. Servoleto was much better armed to hunt swarms of Mikri-Oura, and could snatch small larval animals with impunity. Servoleto typically formed large groups to follow the swarms and blooms of its prey all across the oceans, hunting during the day and resting at night.
More primitive, blind Fossornatus species, meanwhile, remained as abundant as the Servoleto, especially in muddy swamps and lower margins of the tidal flats, or in the deeper reaches of the continental shelf. Their distant cousins, the simple plankton-spearing Astercula, also continued to thrive in great swarms across the oceans. But the Spiculids did not have it all their own way. The bottom-dwelling Genocirculus, unique for its sexual reproduction, was kept at the edge of extinction by the runaway success of both its cousins and the rival Commendalia, which had abundant plant matter and detritus to feed on and, by either burrowing or growing similar armoured shells, were often able to frustrate the simple jaws of the Fossornids and Genocirculus alike.
Some Marmoracelyphus nonetheless found advantage in staying as far up the tidal zone as possible in order to avoid harassment. This led to the Scamper, able to survive out of water for longer periods by hoarding seawater within its shell - still its only source of oxygen, as it could not breath air (and in fact had little of a circulatory system at all). The slow-moving Scamper still had to return frequently to the shallows, navigating the complex shore terrain as it did so, thus explaining the development of primitive eye-spots - arranged defensively, giving motion detection in all directions. Vast piles of Floatus regularly lined the shores of this world, and provided enough food for huge populations of Scamper, as attested by thick layers of shells laid down in the fossil record. What the Scampers did not eat was recycled by the humble Slimers which also thrived along the shores.
The sprawling intertidal zone remained the most productive habitat on the planet: close to sunlight, bathed in detritus from the oceans and washed with nutrients flowing in from continental erosion, and home to a vast mix of beneficial microbes. The Donikae expanded their dominion here - the slimy, plant-like Terras carpeted rough stony surfaces, while its new cousin the Foramus thrived in softer sediments where it was able to spread right up to the high tide line - and evade attacks - by retracting its fleshy parts under the sand, creating unique patterns in the sediments for which this era is named. Donikae biomass in these tidal zones came to equal that of the free-floating Floatus species during this era, as the continents were literally outlined in strokes of vibrant green-blue when seen from above. Polychende continued to swarm unchecked in these slimy miniature forests, sucking on moisture and nutrients, only occasionally threatened by prowling Fossornids which preferred to avoid the risk of getting stranded.
Larvae of almost all species found nourishment among the vast tidal flats. While the already-ancient, burrowing horsehockytu was the main winner from this, the emerging family of Wurmida also caught a share of the catch. By far the most successful of these was the Metywurm, being versatile enough to feed while swimming, or conserve energy and stay safe by partly burrowing itself and passively fish for plankton in the tidal currents, while also being able to survive being stranded for short spells during high tide. Some Metywurm subspecies had also muscled into freshwater systems on both continents by the end of this era. As they were slightly toxic, they were not preferred prey, though they were somewhat slower to reproduce.
The Mikri-Oura continued to prosper, but had shifted from eating plants in their adult stage to remaining as opportunistic feeders.
Gistantula seems to have evolved in response to the threat posed by Fossornids. Not only did it grow even larger - thanks to primitive circulation system of muscular tubules - but much of its exterior became covered in mineralised scales which, together with the sheer thickness of skin once fully grown, proved impenetrable to attack by the latest Fossornids. A side effect was extra insulation against drying out, if caught out by the tide. An ongoing problem was the vulnerability of the soft gill-mantle, which needed to be open to the water in order to take in oxygen. Nonetheless, though relatively few in number, the Gistantula maintained a solid population, ploughing wide feeding tracks through the Terras fields and Vivius reefs that often show up in the fossil record.
Beneath the tidal zone, reef-like structures were reappearing during this era. The Lapis Vivius evolved to be similar to its sedentary ancestors, retaking the role of reef-builders, but this time equipped with root-appendages that were able to leach nutrients from the seabed rocks, or from other static lifeforms they came across. Vivius reefs flourished in shallow tropical waters, wherever the currents provided enough nourishment to sustain them. They provided more habitat to scavengers like the Marmoracelyphus, which recycled nutrients for the reefs and often cleaned them of Floatus parasites. Empty spires also provided handy anchor points for Great-Moss growths, which in turn attracted more scavengers and plankton. These spires and growths also provided young animals with more places to hide from the ever-prowling Fossornids. While Vivius reefs could not match the tidal zones for sheer weight of biomass, they provided habitats with equal if not greater biodiversity, and seem to have been vital to the stabilising of ocean nutrient cycles during this era, preventing blooms of harmful microbes. They were also among the last refuges for the endangered Genocirculus.
(A particularly vibrant sunset; note the large moon overhead.)
In the open oceans there was relatively little change. Astercula and Aranofilus remained the dominant filter-feeders; Aranofilus had boom and bust cycle as it was routinely gobbled up by Fossornids, while Astercula was slower to reproduce but had a more stable population. Polymorphic Greenmoss remained widespread, but no longer dominated the nutrient blooms as it had during the previous era - partly due to increased competition with simple single-celled phytoplankton, and partly due to its own evolutionary offshoot known as the Great-Moss. The latter had the ability to form larger communal structures, in particular sharing a large anchoring chord to the seabed, allowing colonies to exist in deeper water while still accessing light nearer the surface.
Being mildly poisonous, these growths were not favourite food of the Fossornids or Mikri-Oura, but the price paid for this biochemistry was larger nutritional demands and slower reproduction rates. They were however still susceptible to attack by Marmoracelyphus on the seabed; quite often the anchors would be eaten away, at which point the communal growths would disperse, only to gradually re-form at a later date. The main control on Great-Moss populations was that they could still suffer parasitism by their close cousins the Ngarta and Slimata - the Slimata first appearing in this era with adhesive mucus to remain attached even in strong currents. These parasites also attacked animals, using Great-Moss as a staging point to reach new hosts, but typically only weak or injured animals would lack resistance to their invasive filaments.
Subspecies of Greenmoss and Great-Moss continued to penetrate inland, into freshwater systems. Calm, serene lakes were often a slow-motion battleground between Floatus spreading out from below, and Bouncer colonising from above; this competition gradually led to the extinction of the unique wind-surfing Spiffus during this era. A few animals including specialised Fossornatus species had been able to reach such lakes; some had no animal life at all. Departing blooms of Bouncer, inflating and moving on en-mass to seek fresh nourishment, remained one of the great spectacles of life on this planet so far; a delicate snowfall in reverse.
Meanwhile, down in the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean, life continued much as before, but on a tighter budget. Volcanic vents continued to be born and die at a regular rate. But a greater share of nutrients was now caught up in the sprawling tidal zones and Vivious reefs, with less reaching the deep ocean.
Globally, a slight warming trend carried on throughout this era. It had already been warm enough to melt all the ice at the poles.
View the Tree of Life:
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View Species Stats:
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Donikae
Terras: static intertidal photosynthesiser.
Genetic diversity: medium (cloning).
Description: stubby aquatic photosynthetic stalks with anchoring filaments and thick mucus coating to prevent desiccation during low tide.
Foramus: static swamp and shoreline photosynthesiser.
Genetic diversity: low (cloning).
Description: stubby photosynthetic stalks with anchoring filaments and thick mucus coating, that are able to partially retract below ground once they become too dry.
Floatus
Ngarta: aquatic parasitic photosynthesiser.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning).
Description: tiny photosynthetic mass with specialised filaments for active swimming during its planktonic stage, and nutrient leaching from hosts during its reproductive phase.
Slimata: aquatic adhesive parasitic photosynthesiser.
Genetic diversity: low (cloning).
Description: tiny photosynthetic mass with specialised filaments for active swimming during its planktonic stage, and nutrient leaching from hosts during its reproductive phase. Basic adhesive coating aids attachment to host.
Greenmoss: aquatic poisonous photosynthesiser.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning).
Description: buoyant photosythetic mass with limited desiccation resistance, mild defensive poison, resistance to cool temperature, ability to grow anchoring filaments, and specialised cells for mass reproduction via aquatic spores.
Great-Moss: shallow water, poisonous photosynthesiser.
Genetic diversity: low (cloning).
Description: buoyant photosythetic mass with limited desiccation resistance, mild defensive poison, resistance to cool temperature, ability to grow anchoring filaments, and specialised cells for mass reproduction via aquatic spores. In optimal conditions, forms inter-connected clonal masses sharing nutrients and common anchor lines.
Bubblerea
Slimer: intertidal recycler.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning).
Description: tiny buoyant mass of cells with limited desiccation resistance, specialised filaments for crawling, and ability to leach nutrients from bacterial growth and decaying matter. Harnesses sunlight for certain chemical reactions.
Bouncer: hardy freshwater and airborne photosynthesiser.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning/hermaphrodite).
Description: tiny buoyant photosynthetic mass with moderate desiccation resistance, ability to increase its buoyancy to become airborne in response to pheromone feedback, and ability to shrivel and hibernate in harsh conditions.
Neofilia
Aranofilius: motile colonial oceanic filter-feeder.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning).
Description: small cylindrical animal with specialised extendible cilia for capturing plankton, a simple internal digestive chamber, and rear cilia for swimming. Specialised reproductive cells for rapid clonal reproduction, creating offspring initially attached to the parent.
horsehockytu: burrowing aquatic filter-feeder in sandy sediments.
Genetic diversity: high (cloning).
Description: tiny cylindrical animal with specialised extendible cilia for capturing plankton, a simple internal digestive chamber, and rear cilia for swimming and burrowing.
Mikri-Oura: versatile aquatic omnivore.
Genetic diversity: moderate (hermaphrodite).
Description: small tubular animal with spiny internal skeleton, muscular tail for rapid bursts of swimming and burrowing, and a full digestive tract. Extendible cilia for capturing plankton during its development stage; five primitive eyes, a primitive beak and organs for gene exchange in its reproductive phase.
Wurmida
Toxiwurm: coastal and freshwater filter-feeder.
Genetic diversity: low (cloning).
Description: small tubular animal with basic musculature to enable swimming and crawling out of water, limited desiccation resistance, mild poisonous nodules, extendible cilia for capturing plankton, and a simple internal digestive chamber.
Chthon Wurm: coastal and freshwater, filter-feeder and minor predator.
Genetic diversity: very low (cloning).
Description: small tubular animal with musculature to enable swimming and crawling out of water, limited desiccation resistance, mild poisonous nodules. Larvae have extendible cilia for capturing plankton, adults develop four flexible limbs for capturing larger food particles. Toothless mouth/anus opens into a simple internal digestive chamber.
Metywurm: aquatic sediment filter-feeder.
Genetic diversity: very low (cloning).
Description: small tubular animal with musculature to enable swimming, burrowing and crawling out of water, limited desiccation resistance, mild poisonous nodules, extendible cilia for capturing plankton and digging into sediment, and a simple internal digestive chamber.
Petrosidae
Umbrafugis: motile oceanic filter-feeder.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning/hermaphrodite).
Description: small cylindrical animal with a porous bony framework, thin fleshy cuticle, specialised internal reproductive organs, multiple primitive eye-spots, and multiple large sweeping limbs. Limbs have a mixture of specialised cilia branches, used both for swimming and for trapping plankton, with small digestive chambers at the base of each limb.
Lapis Vivius: sessile oceanic filter-feeder.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning/hermaphrodite).
Description: small cylindrical animal with a porous bony framework, thin fleshy cuticle, specialised internal reproductive organs, and multiple large sweeping limbs. Motile larvae, guided by primitive eye-spots, develop into blind sessile adults that lack a strict body plan. Limbs have a mixture of specialised cilia branches with small digestive chambers at the base of each limb. Adults develop further tendrils to leach minerals and nutrients from the surroundings.
Soleneidea
Ardens Worm: static deep ocean chemeosynthesiser.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning/hermaphrodite).
Description: small tubular animal with multi-branched tail used for swimming in its plantonic stage, and to burrow and provide anchorage in its adult stage; internal chambers nurture chemosynthetic bacteria using nutrients absorbed directly from volcanic vents and seeps on the seafloor. Resistant to extreme pressure and high temperature.
Methanovermis: motile deep ocean chemeosynthesiser.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning/hermaphrodite).
Description: small tubular animal with segmented body capable of crawling and burrowing into soft sediment; internal chambers nurture chemosynthetic bacteria using nutrients absorbed from sediment around volcanic vents and seeps on the seafloor. Armed with primitive jaws for defense. Resistant to extreme pressure and extreme temperature ranges.
Commendalia
Deephunter: mid-deep ocean scavenger and opportunist.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning).
Description: small animal with radial symmetry, numerous legs capable of short bursts of speed or efficient long-distance crawling, and a central mouth with sharp teeth opening to a compact digestive tract. Resistant to extreme pressure and extreme temperature ranges.
Polychende: amphibious plant sucker and scavenger.
Genetic diversity: high (hermaphrodite).
Description: simple segmented animal with bilateral symmetry, buoyant developmental stage, 6-10 stumpy legs in adult stage, thick flexible skin with limited desiccation resistance, extendible sucking proboscis and simple internal digestive tract.
Marmoracelyphus: armoured intertidal grazer and scavenger.
Genetic diversity: moderate (hermaphrodite).
Description: small animal with radial symmetry, a thick protective shell, numerous muscular legs capable of short bursts of speed or efficient long-distance crawling, basic olfactory sense, resistance to mild toxins, and a central mouth with teeth optimised for scraping, opening to a compact digestive tract.
Dentembula: aquatic sediment scavenger.
Genetic diversity: moderate (hermaphrodite).
Description: small animal with radial symmetry, numerous muscular legs capable of burrowing into soft sediment, short bursts of speed or efficient long-distance crawling; sensitive olfactory antennae, resistance to cold water, and a central mouth with sharp teeth, opening to a compact digestive tract optimised for handling decomposing matter.
Scamper: armoured coastal and freshwater scavenger.
Genetic diversity: low (hermaphrodite).
Description: small animal with radial symmetry, a thick protective shell, numerous muscular legs capable of short bursts of speed or efficient long-distance crawling, basic olfactory sense, very primitive 360-degree vision, resistance to mild toxins, basic desiccation resistance, and a central mouth with teeth optimised for scraping, opening to a compact digestive tract.
Oreillia
Magnustella: aquatic and intertidal grazer, armoured all-consuming blob.
Genetic diversity: low (cloning).
Description: small-medium animal with radial symmetry, partial buoyancy, basic olfactory sense, and a large motile fringe used for crawling, to enhance oxygen absorption, and aid external digestion. Thick flexible skin for protection, digestive juices can also be used as a defensive weapon.
Gistantua : aquatic and intertidal grazer, armoured all-consuming blob.
Genetic diversity: low (cloning).
Description: small-medium animal with radial symmetry, partial buoyancy, basic olfactory sense, basic circulatory system, and a large motile fringe used for crawling, to enhance oxygen absorption, and aid external digestion. Thick flexible skin covered with calcite scales for protection, digestive juices can also be used as a defensive weapon.
Spiculidae
Astercula: oceanic colonial floating spikeball, grazer and planktivore.
Genetic diversity: moderate (cloning).
Description: tiny-small animal with spherical symmetry; a matrix of feeding spikes of various sizes surrounds specialised digestive, buoyancy and reproductive cells. A few spikes provide basic olfactory sense; others become enlarged hooks to interlink individuals or enable passive transport via floating vegetation or other animals.
Genocirculus: versatile shallow seafloor omnivore.
Genetic diversity: low (sexual).
Description: small animal with highly-adapted spiral symmetry, covered by a thin lightweight spiky shell. 8-10 primitive crawling and swimming limbs, buoyancy bladder, basic vibration and olfactory senses, forward facing harpoons to aid prey capture and mating, and small shell-mounted spikes. Sharp teeth open onto a full but basic digestive tract. Gender specialisation and sexual dimorphism, with males fighting to fertilise and guard the eggs produced by females.
Fossornida
Fossornatus: active oceanic predator and opportunist.
Genetic diversity: moderate (hermaphrodite).
Description: small-medium animal with highly-adapted spiral symmetry, covered by a thin lightweight spiky shell. 6 pairs of manoeuvrable swimming paddles, buoyancy bladder, basic jaws lined with grasping teeth, basic vibration and olfactory senses, forward-facing harpoons to aid prey capture and movement. Basic gill structure and circulatory system. Full but basic digestive tract, basic reproductive organs.
Servoleto: active, selective oceanic predator and opportunist.
Genetic diversity: moderate (hermaphrodite).
Description: small-medium animal with highly-adapted spiral symmetry, covered by a thin lightweight shell. 6 pairs of manoeuvrable swimming paddles, buoyancy bladder, basic jaws lined with grasping teeth, basic vibration and olfactory senses, basic binocular vision-spirals guiding harpoons specialised for prey capture. Basic gill structure and circulatory system. Full but basic digestive tract, basic reproductive organs.
Daedatus: active oceanic predator and opportunist.
Genetic diversity: low (hermaphrodite).
Description: small-medium animal with highly-adapted spiral symmetry, covered by a thin lightweight shell. 6 pairs of manoeuvrable swimming paddles, buoyancy bladder, basic jaws lined with grasping teeth, basic vibration and olfactory senses, 6 forward facing eyespots, and forward-facing harpoons. Simple gill structure and cilia-based circulatory system. Full but basic digestive tract, basic reproductive organs.
View Notes:
Spoiler:
Surprise update! Better late than never?
It saddens me that there are no active evolution NESes. Although Lord_Iggy promises to update NESLifeVI at some point, I'd like to get this one going again too. Iggy's stat system is great for updating, and doing an update like this (hijacking other people's fancy artwork) is not too much work at all.
If anyone reading this is new to the whole NESLife concept, I'm sure myself and others will be happy to answer any questions. It really is quite simple
Mine is essentially earth-like, but with a slightly denser atmosphere (good for flying) and a dimmer, gentler home star (orange, K-type). It also has much larger tidal flows due to its main moon being in close orbit.
Iggy's world is a moon of a gas giant with ammonia-based life. Both operate much the same - driven by photosynthesis plus a little chemeosynthesis (?) in deep volcanic places
Mikri-Oura: versatile aquatic omnivore.
Genetic diversity: moderate (hermaphrodite).
Description: small tubular animal with spiny internal skeleton, muscular tail for rapid bursts of swimming and burrowing, and a full digestive tract. Extendible cilia for capturing plankton during its development stage; five primitive eyes, a primitive beak and organs for gene exchange in its reproductive phase.
Species Name: Mirimaz
Ancestor Species: Mikri-Oura
Selective Pressure: Low genetic diversity
Primary Mutation: Switch from hermaphroditism to two distinct genders, allowing for more dramatic gene exchange, increase the robusticity of the Species. The Mirikiri "Female" Produces a large number of eggs which she attaches to the ocean floor in beds, then marks with a pheremon. Males, attracted by the pheromones, come and release their sperm, fertilizing the eggs.
Secondary Mutation(s): Pheremones to mark fertile areas
Well, one evolution is better than nothing This could be the first time one of my LifeNESes crashes due to lack of input. I guess people have lost faith in me (understandable), or just aren't interested in the setting with its current lifeforms, or are waiting for Lord_Iggy to update NLVI ^^. I note that we're missing Erez and TerrisH who used to do a lot of the evolving... Not to mention Abaddon and his DL's.
Foramus: static swamp and shoreline photosynthesiser.
Genetic diversity: low (cloning).
Description: stubby photosynthetic stalks with anchoring filaments and thick mucus coating, that are able to partially retract below ground once they become too dry.
Species Name: Vertus Ancestor Species: Foramus Selective Pressure: Low genetic diversity, grazing Primary Mutation: The mucous exuded by the Donikae contains genetic fragments of the producer. A grazer that consumes a Donika will be left with traces of that mucous on their body. The Vertus have specialised organs that can receive that trace material and combine it into their own genetic code in a form of horizontal gene transfer. Secondary Mutation(s): Young stalks are much tougher than older ones and are able to pass through digestive processes unharmed, allowing a new colony to be established where the grazer expels its waste.
Well, one evolution is better than nothing This could be the first time one of my LifeNESes crashes due to lack of input. I guess people have lost faith in me (understandable), or just aren't interested in the setting with its current lifeforms, or are waiting for Lord_Iggy to update NLVI ^^. I note that we're missing Erez and TerrisH who used to do a lot of the evolving... Not to mention Abaddon and his DL's.
More like six months - I know, I'm sorry to sound ungrateful. I can only blame myself. But thankyou, @thomas.berubeg and filli_noctus for the evolutions so far, and looks like there will be enough incoming to keep this going
And again, not asking anyone to spend ages on an evolution or to get too technical. Traditionally these were easy NESes for newcomers to join in.
Chthon Wurm: coastal and freshwater, filter-feeder and minor predator.
Genetic diversity: very low (cloning).
Description: small tubular animal with musculature to enable swimming and crawling out of water, limited desiccation resistance, mild poisonous nodules. Larvae have extendible cilia for capturing plankton, adults develop four flexible limbs for capturing larger food particles. Toothless mouth/anus opens into a simple internal digestive chamber.
Species Name: Chthonic
Ancestor Species: Chthon Wurm
Selective Pressure: Poor digestive efficiency
Primary Mutation: Digestive Tube. Being an anus and a mouth-sack isn't much fun, nor is it efficient. By developing a separate in and out allows longer to be spent digesting food, making what the Cthonic eats more valuable.
Secondary Mutation(s): neophyte "teeth". Around the basic mouth part, some hardened bodies form which help crush and grind up the food it finds, again, helping digestion.
Species Name: Tangleweed (Nodius) Ancestor Species: Great-moss Selective Pressure: Intra- and inter-species competition for prime sunlit real estate in the reefs. Primary Mutation: Developing a tangled, somewhat convoluted appearance to hide prowling peristalkers within (see Terrance's evolution). As these creatures are ambush predators, they will effectively defend tangleweeds from herbivores in a manner that requires little to no effort from the tangleweeds themselves. Secondary Mutation(s): The poison will be dropped, as the symbiotic defense system renders it obsolete, and a waste of energy. The energy that would otherwise go to poison will be used to make the tangleweeds more complex (structurally, though they'll also devise more efficient circulation of nutrients and perhaps some more specialization). Any additional energies will be directed towards increased reproduction. The weeds will become less buoyant, in order to better hide their faunal defenses.
Let me know if anything seems out of place (I think Terrance will post the corresponding symbiote soon). I'm terrible at the selective pressure bit, sorry!
Genocirculus: versatile shallow seafloor omnivore.
Genetic diversity: low (sexual).
Description: small animal with highly-adapted spiral symmetry, covered by a thin lightweight spiky shell. 8-10 primitive crawling and swimming limbs, buoyancy bladder, basic vibration and olfactory senses, forward facing harpoons to aid prey capture and mating, and small shell-mounted spikes. Sharp teeth open onto a full but basic digestive tract. Gender specialisation and sexual dimorphism, with males fighting to fertilise and guard the eggs produced by females.
Species Name: Peristalker Ancestor Species: Genocirculus Selective Pressure:
1) Why the heck are we eating our last habitat? Lets stop doing that, shell (a haha, punnnn) we?
2) Look! That wretch wants to eat our habitat! Lets kill it!
3) Im hungry. Lets eat the wretch we killed earlier. Primary Mutation: Symbiosis with Tangleweed, which includes several very minor adaptations
1) Social behavior change: avoid eating our Habitat (only diseased parts if possible)
2) Social behavior change: use Habitat as platform for stealth predation
3) Social behavior change: Females all lay eggs in the center of the Tangleweed, all males get to fertilize, with order based on rank. Females stay with specific Tangleweed colonies, while males move out after maturation to help mix genes. Secondary Mutation(s): Ranked in importance: Sight is VERY NICE for this kind of work
1) Sight: To go with vibration and smell to give us navigational advantage. Sight spots will be on end of specialized tentacles/harpoons
2) Advanced Vibration Sense: Able to use structure of the Tangleweed and vibrations in that structure to locate prey. ala Spiders
3) Specialized Carnivore: Get better at digesting our new food source! Not especially wanted since grazing/trimming overgrowth/diseased limbs is useful, but will be helpful to have. Increased Digestive Tract is similarly useful.
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This could be the first time one of my LifeNESes crashes due to lack of input. I guess people have lost faith in me (understandable), or just aren't interested in the setting with its current lifeforms, or are waiting for Lord_Iggy to update NLVI ^^. I note that we're missing Erez and TerrisH who used to do a lot of the evolving... Not to mention Abaddon and his DL's.
