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Isolated Parasitic Plants; (Island Continent of the West Pacific)
Topic Started: Dec 24 2009, 12:17 PM (1,169 Views)
KayKay
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Edited by KayKay, May 16 2010, 04:41 PM.
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Ànraich
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi

You mean spiky? Or water retention? Either way, it would be cool.
We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

Tree That Owns Itself
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KayKay
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Edited by KayKay, May 16 2010, 04:42 PM.
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ATEK Azul
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True these new fruits could be impalatable but then the fruits won't get far from the possibly infected parent causing problems.

Also it's nice to see that I'm not the only one with an idea for modified Cellulose.
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Ànraich
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi

They could live in places like Oklahoma, where the soil is red due to high iron content (the oxidation, or rusting, of the iron is what causes it to be red). They might have trouble dealing with the lack of water in these places, but they'll find a way.

EDIT: And the non-edible fruits you speak of that provide energy for the seeds growing inside them could be the ones that are carried on the wind.
Edited by Ànraich, Dec 27 2009, 01:40 PM.
We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

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KayKay
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Well, I'll not be working on anything outside the continent (anyone else is free to if they want, I'm not touching on it), but I still get what you are saying. Perhaps I could make it that there are similar mineral-rich soils on the island continent.

The inedible fruits, not only providing energy for the seeds, but actually germinating them, that glide on the wind... like some weird new plant family. Could spread off the continent to other continents, though maybe not if the new plants are not dormant as seeds they might not survive the journey.
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ATEK Azul
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Oh I like the idea of flying fruit with baby Trees inside! Maybe they could evolve a flight/gliding mechanism from their leaves which have grown out the top of the fruit?

Also I for the Cactus I was thinking the water conserving features along with the grooved "skin" that Cactus use to make their own shade.

Though the Cactus deffences might be more likely.
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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KayKay
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Gliding perhaps, I don't think flight though.

Interesting development with the bamboo-like trees.

Would you guys mind if I were to use some of these ideas? It's just that plants are so diverse, the more the better.
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ATEK Azul
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Sure use the ideas they are for your project.
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Ànraich
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Use them, that's why I posted them.
We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

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colddigger
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how likely is it for a tree to switch things around and absorb the sap from the grass rooted it?
Oh Fine.

Oh hi you! Why don't you go check out the finery that is SGP??

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ATEK Azul
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I'm not sure but if a Tree could become a parastie to the Grass it would really help that Tree and hinder any Grass unlucky enough to land on it.

It would make an interesting enviroment with all of these weird adaptations for the Tree's to deffending against the Grass, and then the Grass maintaining the abillity to exploit the Tree's.
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Vultur-10


KayKay
Dec 27 2009, 01:29 PM
Oh, sorry I didn't realize you were speaking figuratively. Still, it was an inspiration. Only trouble is they might be restricted in habitat to areas with the right mineral content in the soil, on top of all of the regular requirements.
Silica is a possibility - it's very common on Earth. Grasses use it in reality - I could see trees incorporating it on an alternate Earth. It could also be used as a protection from wood eating critters like termites (though layered all through the tree, in barriers etc between layers and cutting across layers, not just the bark) - if the wood had enough silica in it it might not be good nutrition for termite type critters.

Hmmm. Might have to do something with silica bark trees. If I ever do that alternate Cretaceous extinction [Campanian Impact - planned for after I get rid of my current backlog of Rewriting Earth ideas], I might have a silica-woody line of plants become dominant in the alter-Cenozoic, as grasses did in the real Cenozoic.
Edited by Vultur-10, Jan 10 2010, 02:58 AM.
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