NESLife VI

[Daedwartin]

Well, i know this: The Zeppu do not care what you throw at the world, because they still are going around, 9 epochs after they evolved.


How in the world did they last this long?

 

[Lord_Iggy]

They suspend themselves with waste gases and nothing else, so their floatation costs very, very little. They're extremely simple, and can reproduce and grow to full size very quickly. They're heavily predated, but they are able to maintain a steady population. The species of Zeppu that exist today are different from those that existed when the family first developed, but the same basic structure has proven to be a lasting success.

 

[filli_noctus]

Spoiler :

Organism: Lanciped
Description: An armoured swimming generalist with 10 muscular, articulated paddles, a segmented tail terminating in a piercing stinger, multiple peripheral hearts in an open circulatory system, jaws and two primitive stalked eyes.
Niche: Opportunistic swimming predator.

Name: Vector
Ancestor: Lanciped
Selective Pressure: Lack of genetic diversity
Mutation: The Vector has evolved to take advantage of a retrovirus that infected an ancestral Lanciped. The venom producing cells in the tail have been altered to become factories that churn out a modified form of the retrovirus containing the Vector's own genetic code. When two Vector's meet they will attempt to inject each other with their retrovirii, facilitating a form of horizontal gene transfer which can be passed to the recipient's offspring. Against other species the virus can cause genetic damage which may prove lethal. Depending on how advanced their digestive systems are creatures that predate upon Vector's may also fall victim. Closely related species may benefit from the viral gene transfer instead of falling victim.
Vector's have a preference for feeding on creatures that show signs of Vector induced genetic damage as not only will they provide a good meal but the retrovirii inflicting the prey will also provide new genetic material for the Vector.

 

[Daftpanzer]

Excellent update, Iggy!

I'm thinking that oceanic photosynthesisers need more love here. Maybe some kind of symbiosis...

I've also been planning to update my NESLife for the past few weekends. Hopefully there is enough appetite on the forum for a general NESLife revival

 

[Marcher Jovian]

Organism: Plasvi
Ancestor: Galsvi
Selective Pressure: Preditation by creatures such as Placebol
Mutation: Cells exposed to high amounts of amonia by being on outside of a Galsvi have evolved to form a mineral coating in these conditions. The smoothness of the coating also increases the effectiveness of the Plasvi's funneling.

 

[thomas.berubeg]

Spoiler :

Organism: Horodsorber
Description: A photosynthetic organism with a predation-resistant branching vascularized stalk, specialized reproductive cells, deep tuberous roots, thickly-clustered leaves with rainfall-capturing capabilities, ammonia-born spores and moderate desiccation resistance.
Niche: Small tree.

Satorod
Ancestor: Horodsorber
Selective pressure: not enough light.
Mutation: Light sensitive cells in the leaves and contracting and expanding cells in the stalks, allowing the leaves to turn towards a light source and follow it's movement.

 

[filli_noctus]

I've also been planning to update my NESLife for the past few weekends. Hopefully there is enough appetite on the forum for a general NESLife revival

I for one would look forward to it. Looking back through NESLife V I notice that the evolution I've just done for this game and the one I submitted eight and a half months ago for V are both about horizontal gene transfer (although with completely different methods of action).

 

[Daftpanzer]

I for one would look forward to it. Looking back through NESLife V I notice that the evolution I've just done for this game and the one I submitted eight and a half months ago for V are both about horizontal gene transfer (although with completely different methods of action).

Yes I was thinking about that recently I've not studied genetics anywhere close to Iggy's level, will be interesting to see what Iggy makes of your idea here. I suspect though that there will be some issues.

In my NES, I was happy enough with your idea of particles that transfer and mix genes between fully-grown organisms of the same species. Given that they could be pollen-like and attach to specific receptors.

 

[filli_noctus]

Endogenous viruses play a role in evolution so they could theoretically be exapted as a beneficial gene transfer mechanism if the genetic payload can be replaced (in much the same way as genetic modification is done in the lab) and the genes responsible for triggering cells to produce the virus can be selectively reactivated. I'm reasonably confident the theory is sound.
Some transmissions may be deleterious to the recipient, but isn't that what evolution is all about (and as the recipient will have produced offspring before receiving the deleterious genes its own genetic makeup will continue to exist)?

 

[North King]

Organism: Venku
Description: A gaseous sac with a photosynthetic skin, dessication resistance, pheromonal signalling, motile tethering parasitic roots and desiccation-resistant spores.
Niche: Migratory hovering primary producer and facultative parasite of other plants.

Organism: Vagablimps
Ancestor: Venku
Selective Pressure: Predation by Haerents
Mutation: Taking advantage of the huge clouds of purple dust, a somewhat sticky secretion on its tendrils allows it to catch and digest the aeroplankton for additional nutrients.

 

[Daftpanzer]

Organism: Stripper
Description: A photosynthetic organism with large photosynthetic strips, highly-specialized tissues for mass-reproduction and energy storage tissues.
Niche: Aquatic primary producer.

Organism: Bundlestrip
Ancestor: Stripper
Selective Pressure: grazing by animals, accessing light
Mutation: energy storage tissues have evolved to double as structural supports; bundles of tubules made from complex carbohydrate compounds (perhaps? ) are interwoven throughout the photosynthetic strips, allowing them to grow taller and wider before they risk being ripped away by the current. This also makes them tougher to chew on, and harder to digest.

The trade-off is, of course, slower growth rates. Thus the Bundlestrip attempts to fill the niche of 'slow, steady, biggest'.

Query: does Lambda Ignaceae actually experience what we would call 'seasons'? (if yes, I'm guessing this would be due to eccentricity in the orbit of the parent planet?)

 

[Cannae]

Spoiler :

Organism: Algen
Description: A photosynthetic organism with large interlocking buoyant photosynthetic strips, highly-specialized tissues for mass-reproduction and energy storage tissues.
Niche: Floating aquatic primary producer.

Name: Symbioalge
Ancestor: Algen
Selective Pressure: Predation
Mutation: The symbioalge has developed a lure which looks and smells like a piece of flesh. The lure is designed to attract apex carnivores to come closer. Once the carnivore is close enough, the lure hooks onto the carnivore's skin/armor. Over time the symbioalge will cover the predators skin with it's roots. But the relationship between the symbioalge and apex predator is actually symbiotic. The symbioalge receives protection from herbivores which would otherwise prey on it. The carnivore also helps provide the symbioalge with a much more effective method of transportation and reproduction as the predator releases spores each time it expels extra waste products. In return the aquatic predator receives some of the energy absorbed by the
symbioalge.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Lambda experiences only small seasonal variations, due to its non-eccentric orbit and lack of axial tilt. However, being the moon of a gas giant planet, it has a very odd illumination cycle. Day and night alternate, but some days are dark because Thor eclipses the sun, while some nights are bright due to the reflected light bouncing off of the planet's surface.

 

[Noco]

Spoiler :

Organism: Jargo
Description: A motile, olfactory predator with a digestive tract, nephridium, slimy skin, well-developed tetrahedron-based musculoskeletal system with powerful jaws and a reduced ribbon-like tail for swimming.
Niche: Swimming apex predator.

Organism: Clicker
Ancestor: Jargo
Selective Pressure: Susceptibility to disorientation from Whiffer scents
Mutation: By developing its jaw system, the Clicker will evolve to create a wave of sound by snapping closed its mouth. Using newly developed bone in the lower mouth to pick up on the returning ping, the Clicker uses primitive echolocation as an additional method of identifying prey, rather than relying on the targetable sense of smell.

 

[Revan529]

Spoiler :

Organism: Zebpig
Description: A motile, olfactory predator with a digestive tract, primitive lungs, nephridium, thick slimy camouflaged skin, primitive tetrahedral skeleton, stiff legs for crawling, and a short tail.
Niche: Semi-amphibious generalist.

Organism: Zeblinger
Ancestor: Zebpig
Selective Pressure: Selective pressure: predation from aquatic and land-based predators
Mutation: The Zeblinger’s legs became more flexible (certainly in comparison with its ancestor) and more powerful, whilst its tail grew slightly longer for better balance and manoeuvring on sea and land, so that it would be more capable of outrunning/swimming its natural predators.

 

[Patchy]

Spoiler :

Organism: Lystval
Description: A thickly-armoured desiccation-resistant terrestrial organism with 10 articulated legs for swift locomotion, olfactory organs on each limb, a branching digestive tract integrated with a tracheal system for gas exchange, jaws and two primitive stalked eyes.
Niche: Armoured omnivore.

Organism: Coetus
Ancestor: Lystval
Selective Pressure: Predation by Maxilla
Mutation: Predation by the Maxilla has caused the Coetus to begin living in herds for safety. Taking advantage of their olfactory organs the Coetus have developed basic pheromones that allow for one member of the herd to alert the others when danger or food supply is near.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Hi again Abby. Remember everyone, one evolution per person per turn!

 

[Lord_Herobrine]

Spoiler :

Organism: Solarotil
Description: A photosynthetic organism with a predation-resistant stalk, sticky windblown spores, tuberous roots, high surface area leaves, and limited desiccation resistance.
Niche: Coastal primary producer.

Organism: Venusil
Ancestor: Solarotil
Selective Pressure: Predation by herbivores.
Mutation: The Venusil has adapted to the threat from herbivores by decreasing their height to the point that they are almost flush with the ground, and increasing the thickness and size of their leaves. At the heart of their leaves is a bowled area that contains a colorful flower-of-sorts that distributes its spores either through wind or by a creature wandering through it. The primary adaption that enables them to resist some predation is a hallucinogenic chemical that is contained within the leaves, scaring away potential dangers after the first bite.

EDIT: And welcome newcomers!

 

[tuxedohamm]

Spoiler :

Organism: Crysteb
Description: A motile, generalist with a olfaction, 3 primitive photosensitive organs, a digestive tract, primitive lungs, nephridium, thick slimy camouflaged skin, primitive tetrahedral skeleton, stiff legs for crawling, and a short tail.
Niche: Semi-amphibious generalist.

Organism: Slyeteb
Ancestor: Crysteb
Selective Pressure: Predation by Local Orata predators.
Mutation: New/increased muscle development.

Along the digestive tract, mutations produced extra muscles. Unneeded for the digestive tract, they eventually adapted to pushing internal fluids within the Slyeteb around. These muscles developed close to the primitive lungs due to the readily availability of needed hydrogen to fuel these active muscles. This had the effect of pushing nutrients and sugars away from the digestive tract and more spread throughout the body, and hydrogen was pushed away from just the lungs and more throughout the body.

This led to increased muscle growth in regions related to locomotion due to improved access to the fuel needed to produce energy.

 

[Cheef]

Hi everyone, I registered just to participate because I was referred by a friend. Please excuse me if I'm a bit nooby at first.

Organism: Glider
Ancestor: Soarer
Selective Pressure: Limited stamina and inefficient digestive system.
Mutation: A larger, more complex set of hormones and enzymes help to make the digestive process much more efficient and quicker. By increasing the amount of energy the Soarer can then acquire and store, its wings expand in size, but the overall weight of the creature stays roughly the same; the increased size of its wings generate more power with fewer flaps, thereby further decreasing energy consumption. This allows the Glider to travel significant distances on not that much energy, able to glide if need be, hence its name.