NESLife VI

Organism: Sinker
Ancestor: Floater
Pressure: Competition for plankton in the most easily populated regions, and intense predation by Feasters.
Mutation: The sinker have adapted two things: the ability to cfill their gas sacs with water, and their resistance to pressure. This allows them to survive in habitats deeper than the other feeders.
 
Also, how exactly would acid continue to work in a environment where the surrounding chemicals are ammonia and water (For I'm assuming the oceans have some water in them other than purely ammonia) since an abundance of water would neutralize the solution almost immediately?

EDIT: Also, If you do find an organic molecule capable of containing the acid, you can reduce the size of the acidic sac by developing a thin mosquito-like 'syringe' that would be inserted into a small opening made by the acid and then used to suck out nutrients and cells.

But it wouldn't neutralize the solution. :/
 
Organism: Biter
Ancestor: Crawler
Selective Pressure: To more readily and efficiently eat prey; to ward off would-be predators and competitors for food
Mutation: The formation of a complex mouth, especially with the formation of teeth and jaws. This allows the Biter to, as it is named, bite, allowing it to increase surface area for its food, thus making it easier to digest. It is also good for fighting, both in-species and out of it.
 
Sodium hydroxide is a base like ammonia, if the oceans are a mix of ammonia and water then they should have a high pH, I don't know for sure but since the oceans would be basic then Sodium Hydroxide would be able to not be neutralized.
 
Organism: Biter
Ancestor: Crawler
Selective Pressure: To more readily and efficiently eat prey; to ward off would-be predators and competitors for food
Mutation: The formation of a complex mouth, especially with the formation of teeth and jaws. This allows the Biter to, as it is named, bite, allowing it to increase surface area for its food, thus making it easier to digest. It is also good for fighting, both in-species and out of it.

One thing, Omega. In one evolution to develop a complex mouth would be a miracle, especially if it contained teeth. I would suggest starting with just a simple jaw and a thin razor sharp hedge of bone lining the lips.
 
All he has to do to digest sand is to evolve a parallel metabolic process incorporating halogenation of the O-Si-O bonds to release free oxygen.

...Patchy, have you considered a simpler, non-biochemical solution? There are plenty of mechanical solutions out there that would solve your problem
 
All he has to do to digest sand is to evolve a parallel metabolic process incorporating halogenation of the O-Si-O bonds to release free oxygen.

...Patchy, have you considered a simpler, non-biochemical solution? There are plenty of mechanical solutions out there that would solve your problem

There are plenty of those solutions, i think between Iggy and Terrance they've suggested around 3 of them. I just want to see if I could make my own one, if I can't then I use one of the ones they suggested.
 
Patchy said:
Hmm, in that case I might change my species to have a symbiotic relationship with the Indigestible Sunfeeders and have it consume dead or diseased leaves, sort of like pruning it. Would that work?

This will be a legit strategy next turn.
 
23 Evolutions already since the update. Might wanna deadline soon, Iggy ;).
 
Organism: Biter
Ancestor: Crawler
Selective Pressure: To more readily and efficiently eat prey; to ward off would-be predators and competitors for food
Mutation: The formation of a complex mouth, especially with the formation of teeth and jaws. This allows the Biter to, as it is named, bite, allowing it to increase surface area for its food, thus making it easier to digest. It is also good for fighting, both in-species and out of it.

I try to move towards a mouth with sensibly moderate mutation and I see this. :/
 
Or have so many Oxygen producing organisms that the main atmospheric gas is oxygen.
 
Think about it. Using oxygen as a poisonous gas to kill prey :mwaha:.
 
Not a very reliable food source if it only comes from one species which uses it as an attack mechanism
 
Hey Iggy, about how much of Lambda's surface is covered in ammonia oceans? And of that, what is the general temperature and depth of oceans where most of this life is developing?

PS. Would it be possible to get measurements of how large certain organisms can grow to be. I know that it would be relatively small at this stage in evolution (Except for organisms like the Spires, of course).
I'm not revealing just what the planet's surface looks like yet, except for the fact that there is currently one global water body that contains all multicellular life. I'll reveal a world map once the layout of oceans and continents becomes relevant.

Most life is occurring in oceanic shallows, where the sun's light is the brightest and thus the planktonic life is the richest.

Feasters range between 0.1mm and 10mm. The largest Sunfeeders are up to 15 mm, or the size of a small coin. Spires and Towers are fairly diverse in size. Most of them are 10 to 20 mm in height, but some of the largest species of the recently-evolved Tower family have reached a towering 200mm in height. Essentially, sizes are limited by primitive vascular systems and transport systems- most lifeforms have to rely on the passive diffusal of nutrients and dissolved gases throughout their bodies. Simple body systems (primitive muscles, primitive nervous systems, minimal bodily structures) also place upper limits on body size.
Well now it's pretty much a challenge to find my own way to nom on Inedible Sundfeeders.

What about Hydrofluoric Acid or Sodium Hydroxide? It should be able to dissolve glass, but I don't know if you'll allow my feasters to be able to use it as they are also capable of dissolving many other things, like skin.
Hydrofluoric acid is not energetically practical, and it's an absolute nightmare to work with. It's awful, awful stuff, and the level of biological specialization needed to practically use it is far, far beyond the reach of any current life on Lambda (and for that matter, it doesn't even exist in nature on earth, and we've had complex multicellular life for half a billion years). Sodium Hydroxide is a base in a basic solution (Ammonia Oceans, with slight impurities). Keep in mind that Lambda's temperatures only rarely rise above 200 Kelvins (-70 Centigrade). Our world is very cold, but high pressure. For ammonia-based life, it's lovely, but from our perspective the world is frigid, with intensely alkaline seas and crushing air pressure.

Ammonium is a base. It can nuetralize like a boss.

EDIT: I think going from a mess of tentacles to an all out mouth+teeth+jaws is a bit much, but it is up to Iggy.
Indeed, it is a stretch. When I feel that people put too much in (or have mutations that don't match up with their selective pressures) I'll tone them down, and describe them in the update.

One thing, Omega. In one evolution to develop a complex mouth would be a miracle, especially if it contained teeth. I would suggest starting with just a simple jaw and a thin razor sharp hedge of bone lining the lips.
That is, in fact, what I was going to do- just create a simple cutting tool.

23 Evolutions already since the update. Might wanna deadline soon, Iggy ;).
Good call again Herobrine, I was about to say something similar. Everyone, please don't edit your proposals from this point on (I've already written many of them up and drawn them, and it would be terribly annoying to find that you've changed them after the fact. :p) If you haven't made an addition yet, please do so quickly. I'll make another post when the absolute deadline hits.

I try to move towards a mouth with sensibly moderate mutation and I see this. :/
Yeah, don't worry, the over-the-top mutations will be toned down in the update according to my own judgement.

Can't wait until we have creatures using combustion as a defense mechanism. Or a seed-spreading mechanism.

O2 from Water+ Methane+Spark.
I discussed this with several people- if you can get a store of oxygen, then it is fairly straightforward to combust it.

Or have so many Oxygen producing organisms that the main atmospheric gas is oxygen.
Not at all likely to happen in this environment- almost all Oxygen is locked away in oxides in the crust, or in water, which is almost inevitably frozen due to the aforementioned low temperatures.

Then it'll be like earth. :3

EDIT: Oxygen can be poisonous to those not used to it. Mwhahaha.

EDITEDIT: However, it would be Oxygen-Silicon based life, not Oxygen-Carbon.
Oxygen is indeed poisonous, it's one of the most electronegative elements in existence, after fluorine. However, even if the atmospheric chemistry shifted radically, this world would be far from earth-like. ;)

Think about it. Using oxygen as a poisonous gas to kill prey :mwaha:.
Not terribly practical, I'm afraid, due to the difficulties of acquiring free oxygen- but possible.

Oh no, mitochondria develop, which uses Oxygen as food!
Lambda's own cells have mitochondrial equivalents, which use hydrogen and produce methane.
 
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