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Rewriting Earth; a new wave of spec evo projects
Topic Started: Nov 21 2009, 11:38 PM (7,627 Views)
Temporary
Transhuman
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I haven't got a good name yet, but here's what I was thinking:

Bowls of Soup: A photosynthesizing producer, it's actually a form of protero-sponge (a midway step seen between colony of cells and multicellular organism, developing cell deferentiation but not much more), with a membrane on top developing to use photsynthesis (I'm actually thinking melanin, not as efficent of chlorophyl but we can work on that in the next few years, after all, plants may have used it too), and other cells on the bottom developing to use spores. Around the exterior are cells that cling together forming a surprisingly strong exterior considering the kind of organism it is (but still not that strong, you coul break it with your thumb). It looks a bit like grape jelly in a bowl more then soup.

It's life-cycle is pretty simple, it waits for an organism to eat it, devouring the spores at the bottom. Later, when the organism dumps it's waste, the spores survive to create a new bowl.

Basically just an alternative to plants for a while. I just like the idea of bowls laying around to be eaten.

I always have loved giant funguses, it would freaking awesome for them to outcompete plants. It just would.
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ATEK Azul
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Those Jelly Bowls(hope the name change is likable) sound awsome and a lichen version would also be cool.

Infact I can see upside down mushrooms with their caps filled with rows of Jelly cells inbetween fungal membranes. The stem would connect to leaves instead of roots. And the roots of the plant come out of the bowl that the mushroom cap creates.

It was just an interesting Ideas generated on the spot.
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Canis Lupis
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Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.

I heard somewhere that there were purple plants during either the Cambrian or Precambrian. Maybe those things could dominate the land.

And a more advanced symbiosis between lichens and fungi does seem likely, but they probably won't dominate the land.
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ATEK Azul
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I think most Plants might stay in the water if multiple groups are already on land?

I think that could couse amphibious Lichen or even completely water bound forms.

While the Fungi in the Lichen might have a sister group which would be the the upside down mushrooms I talked about?

Another flora group could be Sponges, Molluscs or Corals?
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Canis Lupis
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Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.

Mollusks, sponges, and corals as a floral group? When they are heterotrophic animals? How does that work?
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ATEK Azul
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I was leaving that up to opinion but I can see them becomming symbiotic with Bacteria or Algae. Some might turn their pigments into their own energy production adaptations. And I was thinking of current animals that don't move much and had possibillities.

Corals could be chemivores in cave ecosystems or land versions of their present symbiotic forms.

Sponges: I really have no idea.

Molluscs: I can see them as water dwelling filter feeders which form tree like structures by sticking and growing together.
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Canis Lupis
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Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.

Well, of those three, sponges are the most plausible to evolve symbiosis with algae.

As well as corals.

But mollusks most likely would not do this to a great exent, if at all. Most mollusks are algae eaters or carnivores. If I were an algae, I wouldn't like to join with someone that could eat me.
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ATEK Azul
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Well I was thinking Molluscs like Oysters not Cephalopods or Gastropods.

And I was thinking that they might turn into filter feeders with fleshy feather like filtering apendages which might later become photosynthetic symbiotes.

I agree with you other wise.
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Canis Lupis
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Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.

I could see algae growing on the shells of bivalves, but not forming a phtotosynthetic relationship.

Bivalves usually live away from the sun, which isn't advantageous for algae.
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ATEK Azul
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Okay good reasonning what about the other cannidates?

And have you thought of better canidates or new groups for flora?

I realise that might sound mean but that was not the intention.
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ATEK Azul
Dec 7 2009, 05:48 PM
Those Jelly Bowls(hope the name change is likable) sound awsome and a lichen version would also be cool.

Infact I can see upside down mushrooms with their caps filled with rows of Jelly cells inbetween fungal membranes. The stem would connect to leaves instead of roots. And the roots of the plant come out of the bowl that the mushroom cap creates.

It was just an interesting Ideas generated on the spot.
I was thinking of them evolving farther and farther away from the 'stalk' form we see today. First, unless they evolve a lot (which could happen later on) I think they would just focus on getting bigger and better at attracting attention from herbivores. I'm thinking that they would grow larger and larger, with a variety of shapes (bowels, plates, cups, trays) to work with different kinds of herbivores, and develope different colors for thes ones that have vision, and have some evolve to use smell if they get on land. Some might even evolve bioluminesence.

The idea of them standing is fine by me, but these I can imagine taking over first. During the Silurian I can imagine them as vast tub or pool sizes spread across the land like forests attracting this planet's insectoid life, maybe even with organisms living entirely inside them, maybe something like a flish (birds evolved to live in trees, maybe an aviatar here could evolve to live in these bowls).

As for fungi taking over the land, maybe. If the fungi evolve to land they could stay there unless plants adapt somehow, which is what ended it on HE. They were initialy dominant, but somehow plants got rid of them. Maybe plants and fungi evolved to where fungi control some niches completely here that plants rule in ours, like grasses and such. Is there an alternative to both melanin and chlorophyl?
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ATEK Azul
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I have been focusing on Lichen like hybrids since I like hybrids. That is what those stalk bowls are, Jelly Bowls living with Fungus.

I really like your Jelly Bowls by them selves especially with that new information Temporary.

And I don't think Fungi can take over which is why I have been suggesting all types of remotely Plant-like life to be flora.
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Hybrid? You mean like a symbiosis right (I'm pretty sure that's what you mean, just making sure).

I also can't wait to work on the later epochs. I can't remember, are trilobites and those guys in this or just our originals?
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Yes by Hybrid I meant symbiotes though I consider them simular hence why I used the term.

As for real life in here I have no clue.
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Canis Lupis
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Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.

Okay: first deadline to start this thing up.

If someone wants semi-administrative duty over this thing, go ahead. I'll take it if you all want me to, but someone else can have it if they want.



Anyway, by Friday at midnight (in my area (right now, it is 5:12 pm)), if you have a phylum idea, it must be submitted by this date. I'll surf through the thread and sort all phyla into a poll. Then voting on the phyla to work will will be open until Tuesday at midnight (again, my time). Then we shall begin work on individual creatures, starting with the Cambrian. Yeah!
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