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Slime world; The latest, and hopefully more succesfyl addition to terraforming
Topic Started: Sep 18 2010, 07:33 AM (550 Views)
Forbiddenparadise64
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Ok, terrafirming is not something I focussed in for long, so now I represent a one off open project for this. Slime world is about 90% of earths size, and has a similar atmosphere. The main inhabitants are Gastropoda, echinoderma, flatworms, annelida and nematodes, with few other animals, including a few sponges in addition. I will do only 1 time period for it being a one off: 250 million AP, and I will make it an open project so anyone can create species for it, aquatic or terrestrial. With no Arthropoda all the plants are primitive, so only small, adaptable species are on land at first, but 250 million years soon works them up. More details will be given next post if anyone has questions, and I will make this my secondary project once and fir all. Anyone interested? :lol:
Prepare for the Future Walking with the future: Allozoic (pts 4-6)http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/3252142/14/#new

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Dragon wasp
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this sounds really interesting!
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Forbiddenparadise64
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Ok, I'm going to design a map for Slime world, as well as describing the climate:

Average global temperature:20C
Atmospheric pressure: 1.0
Oxygen content 25%
axial tilt:20 degrees

And I'll design a quick sketch for a map below.

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In case it doesn't work below is a link.
Ok, theres a few errors, and the continents names will be: The North west one is Titania, the North East, Oberon, The South West Miranda, the South East Pan, an I'll have people suggest the names for subcontinents and island chains.
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Attachments: Slime_world_map.png (22.33 KB)
Edited by Forbiddenparadise64, Sep 18 2010, 10:09 AM.
Prepare for the Future Walking with the future: Allozoic (pts 4-6)http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/3252142/14/#new

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Forbiddenparadise64
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Ok, heeres a more detailed account onto fauna

On land, as no arthropods are here, most gastropods are small and generalised, although some live in the desert and a few larger species also have been introduced. Flatworms are also prevalent on land, and as the only terrestrial life, and 250 million years to evolve, their future looks bright, along with that of the vast plants that surround them, all non flowering. Slime molds are introduced in many forms, including novel GM forms to create new niches and microclimates.

In the seas, gastropods of all sorts and echinoderms are flourishing, along with annelids and nematodes to form the base of the food chain. As their are no cnidarians and very few sponges, echinoderms are free to evolve into many new niches. Warm, fertile seas full of algae feed the first pioneers as well. However, along with the various microbes introduced, the slime world had life previously in the forms of a few different creatures living in extreme habitats in the shadows. Their biochemistry is reverse-handed to Earth's which could affect their competition with the new comers: what will be the consequences?

Also, I need help to suggest evolutionary routes for the fauna to go over the time period eg cephalopod like sea slugs, coral like sea cucumbers, ambush predator nematodes, Terrestrial creatures similar to the Desert hopper of TFIW or the polyketarid thingies of the old version of postozoic. Anyone got any ideas of which continent to do first?
Prepare for the Future Walking with the future: Allozoic (pts 4-6)http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/3252142/14/#new

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Forbiddenparadise64
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Ok, I have a few ideas for Titanian history:

After the small gastropods and flatworms were introduced, in the first 30 million years, a mass diversification occured, with them spreading into a huge number of niches, including large forms. With lower gravity and abandoning the shell, some species could grow as big as 70cm, and gently fed upon the vegetation. However this period of peace was soon altered when a species of hopping slug adapted its foot into two structures. These were developed further and further until they became like legs, each capable of moving seperately. Soon, they managed to develop an internal structure in the animals back and legs forming a spine, made out of carbon fibres reinforced with calcium. Another group did a similar thing, but developed an exoskeleton instead, and developed on multiple legs more. Both groups flourished, and stranger still things happened later. Some managed to develop membranes allowing them to glide through the forests. Eventually they enhanced the structure by extending the feet into a second pair and incorperating them into these, forming a pair of flapping wings. Soon the skies were filled with bizzare slugs. The paravertabrate structure proved highly successful and they managed to adapt to various forms, including creatures orders of magnitude bigger than their ancestors could have got. The exoskeletal forms (including the flying forms) colonised every corner of the land and freshwater, and a few even experimented with the ocean, but stayed marginal due to competition with more efficient sea slugs and echinoderms.

250 million years later, a highly bizzare habitat exists among the forests. It is mainly red and blue, filled with yellow and purple strands. They are solid in structure, resembling coral reefs, and are filled with algae, bacteria and fungi. These are in fact the descendants of echinoderms. In the absense of cnidarians, some already sessile species of sea cucumber and brittle star took their lifestyles further and colonised shallow waters, developing various symbiosis with algae and cyanobacteria, and later other forms that produced oxygen as a byproduct. They became echinoderm reefs, teeming with life. Later, a few species managed to develop a new respiratory system, and to avoid competitors, migrated into the swamps to avoid its competitors. As die offs of local plants occured, they adapted their mechanisms further, making their arms into root like structures to stay in place, or too move around to compete with each other. Most live in and around swamps, but a few have gone beyond. The largest species evolve upwards and can be up to 4m tall. Like in the ocean, they are home to arthrogastrids (arthropod like slugs), flatworms, annelids and even small paravertabrates. This is one truly bizzare habitat to exist.

Anyone want to create fauna for this habitat?
Prepare for the Future Walking with the future: Allozoic (pts 4-6)http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/3252142/14/#new

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