Organism: Sunshield
Description: A flat mass of photosynthetic cells with specialized reproductive cells, surrounded by a defensive protein coat.
Niche: Defensive stationary primary producer.
Organism: Sunseeker
Ancestor: Sunshield
Selective Pressure: OMG where is the sun! What is that? WTF you fat broader plant, you are blocking my daily shinies. You don't care, eh? Man, I'm moving out of this neighborhood!
Mutation: Directional Reproduction Towards the Sun: Protein "Grips" and "Ridges". Produces colonial "Spores" only when well off OR desparate.
The much beleaguered Sunshield suffers from being not as inedible as the somewhat edible inedible Sunseekers and Broader Inedible Sunseekers. Their protein coat suffers from being not as defensive as a layer of glass scales and their sunlight are being covered by the obnoxious leaves of the Broaders.
Slowly, the Sunshield changed it's strategy. Instead of reproducing small colonies to expand in all directions, the Sunshields begun to use apoptosis and directional reproduction to ensure survival of individuals until they arrive at a less shaded area. Literally seeking a place in the sun, their protein coat develops "Grips" and "Ridges" to help keep their relative position in safer zones.
But as time moved on, Sunseekers found a new sinister use of their maneuvering abilities. By reproducing and gripping, they can grow ONTOP a Broader Inedible Sunseeker's leaves and body parts, or indeed, cling ontop other organisms like Spires, Floaters and other creatures. Although relatively benign in the latter cases, for the first they found their true niche. By growing ontop a Broader Inedible Sunseeker, not only do they slowly starve their hated rival, but they also gain themselves directional protection below- the body of their enemy is used to defend from other herbivores. Finally, they can safely use these bases to propagate colonial Sunseekers, which will reproduce, grip, and shimmy their way ontop other Broader Inedible Sunseekers or perhaps some of the newer species like the Zeppu...