| Speculative biology is simultaneously a science and form of art in which one speculates on the possibilities of life and evolution. What could the world look like if dinosaurs had never gone extinct? What could alien lifeforms look like? What kinds of plants and animals might exist in the far future? These questions and more are tackled by speculative biologists, and the Speculative Evolution welcomes all relevant ideas, inquiries, and world-building projects alike. With a member base comprising users from across the world, our community is the largest and longest-running place of gathering for speculative biologists on the web. While unregistered users are able to browse the forum on a basic level, registering an account provides additional forum access not visible to guests as well as the ability to join in discussions and contribute yourself! Registration is free and instantaneous. Join our community today! |
| Blast into the future: the arthropozoic *OLD*; Arthropods become the dominant megafauna, macrofauna, and microfauna | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Oct 9 2016, 06:37 PM (1,689 Views) | |
| IIGSY | Oct 9 2016, 06:37 PM Post #1 |
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
|
Ever since they came about during the cambrian explosion, arthropods have truly stood the test of time. They come in staggering diversity, filling in many niches. However, they don't do very well as megafauna. Their size is limited by their respiratory systems and exoskeletons, as well as competition from vertebrates. That, however, is all about to change. Quarentary: The Quarentary goes on for about another 2000 years before abruptly coming to an end. Human civilization continues to advance in science and technology. But the human population expands rapidly. Deforestation, pollution and ocean acidification increase to an alarming level. Political tensions also hit a breaking point and a massive war commonsense. Instead of nukes, which are very outdated at this point, the WMD are plasma bombs. These bombs are nuclear bombs with one added features. As the bombs fall, they collect he surrounding oxygen and rapidly heat it up to convert it into plasma. These bombs have a much wider explosion radius. To cap it all off, an asteroid smacks earth. This extinction kills of many creatures. Groups that died: Butterflies Over half of all dipterans (true flies) Over half of all flatworms Lice Ticks Most mantids Honeybees Conifers Many flowering plants Any species that was considered endangered before hand Many minor groups like zoraptera Most corals Most vertebrates Most organisms that directly depend on vertebrates for their existence that where not already mentioned And so much more Neocarboniferous: Life on earth starts to recover. Oxygen levels start to rise. Most organisms still look relatively "normal" at this point. Many arthropods start to get a notable, but not too drastic, increase in size. This happens before vertebrates can fully recover and thus they still stay small. With the lack of butterflies and honeybees, moths and hoverflies are the new major pollinators. Nothing to much goes on in this period. It lasts for about 20 million years. Treacheagene: Strait of Gibraltar closes. Antarctica heads north, colliding with australia. South and North America separate. Africa heads north, smash the arabian plate even more into asia. Arthropods have basically secured their grip as the dominant megafauna at this point but are still limmited by their exoskeletons in size, with new forms starting to evolve. Vertebrates are slowly being out competed to extinction. With the reduction of copepods, this leaves a gap for a new group to enter the realm of zooplankton. Springtails. While they do have their fair share of macroscopic forms, they really shine in the microscopic world. They are an important component of zooplankton and soil mesofauna. Some arthropod groups, including phasmids, beetles, and decapods, also start to independently evolve something revolutionary. Proper lungs and a more flexible exoskeleton, as well as a more erect posture. Though this wouldn't be fully accomplished until the next period. With the almost complete lack of corals, barnacles have taken the reefbuilding niche. A minor mass extinction kills of the remaining vertebrates. It lasts for about 50 million years. Arthropogene: Austrarctica heads north, colliding with asia. North america collides with europe. South america is isolated. Arthropods reach their ultimate height during this period. Oxygen levels are at an all time high during, at 45%. With the previously mentioned adaptations being full developed, some arthropods reach titanic proportions. Naturally, aquatic animals tend to reach larges sizes more than land animals. Many highly derived forms come about. Barnacles reefs are very large and widespread, being a biodiversity hot spot, just as corals reefs do in our timeline. Insects continue to evolve symbioses with plants. Robberflies compete with dragonflies for dominance of the skies. Crustaceans, large and small, roam around the oceans. Caroline algae also becomes a keystone organisms, with whole "forests" made of them, much like today's kelp forests. Lasts for about 60 million years. Exogene: The world is pretty alien now, though many relics of the past still persist. Oxygen levels, and therefor arthropod size, start to decrease. Our super continent starts to split in two, the North ameraficarabia and the indoeurasiastralia. Forests start to shrink. Deserts start to grow. But despite all this, something shocking happens. The birth of a new sapient species, Arachnosapiens. It is a far off descendant of jumping spiders. It lives in tribes and can construct tool such as spears. Lasts for about 32 millions years. Finalegene: The world is now almost completely unrecognizable now, with very few familiar looking organisms. They majority of terrestrial habitats are deserts or arid plains. Animals exceeding 4 kilograms are rare. Arachnosapiens survives up to this point, but it will not stand up to what is to come. Lasts for about 35 million years. The end: A mass extinction simply dubbed "the end" ensues, putting the permian-triassic to shame. Multiple super volcanoes erupt, kicking tons of ash and dust into the air blocking out the sun and suffocating many animals. Then not one, but two large asteroids smash into earth. This kills more than 99% of life on earth. The only surviving organisms are microbes living deep in the ocean or in the soil. Of these, the only animals are nematode worms. Earth is a barren wasteland but, one day, life will recover. What's next? Who knows... Edited by IIGSY, Oct 20 2016, 08:22 PM.
|
|
Projects Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates Last one crawling: The last arthropod ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess) Potential ideas- Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized. Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal. Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents. Quotes Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups In honor of the greatest clade of all time More pictures Other cool things All African countries can fit into Brazil
| |
 |
 
|
| Replies: | |
|---|---|
| Dragonthunders | Oct 13 2016, 07:32 PM Post #31 |
The ethereal archosaur in blue
|
Not, really, if it became stronger it became at the same time more heavy.
Do not worry, I can understand, it is your first project. To tell this truth idea is quite interesting, many of these lineages are almost forgotten, however, make them grow in huge size seems a very hasty step. In my opinion, if it helps, it would be better to start work on diversity rather than in length, people like that projects explain how the animals have expanded to different ecological niches more if they reached lengths as big as people, currently there is a project that exposes this point of view in a earth after a severe mass extinction, Settlers from the Deep It takes place in a future after a gamma rays burst which passed directly to earth that wiped out almost all eukaryote life on Earth's surface. The only groups that remained were those under the ground, in caves or deep, with a few vertebrates and several invertebrates survivors. In this case with the presence of vertebrates, these have taken the major roles of megafauna, however, also it exposes what has come to evolve in terms of microfauna after the event, because most of arthropod groups were eliminated. This is an example of course, I dont say that copy this, just an example. The idea of a terraformed planet might work as I said before, if that planet has a less gravity there is the chance that arthropod may get larger. If you want any of them to become greater than they are today, you can do it, but explain it in a reasonable manner and Justify. |
|
Projects "Active" projects The Future is Far Welcome to the next chapters of the evolution of life on earth, travel the across the earth on a journey that goes beyond the limits, a billion years of future history in the making. The SE giants project Wonder what is the big of the big on speculative evolution? no problem, here is the answer Coming one day Age of Mankind Humanity fate and its possible finals. The Long Cosmic Journey The history outside our world. The alternative paths The multiverse, the final frontier... Holocene park: Welcome to the biggest adventure of the last 215 million years, where the age of mammals comes to life again! Cambrian mars: An interesting experiment on an unprecedented scale, the life of a particular and important period in the history of our planet, the cambric life, has been transported to a terraformed and habitable mars in an alternative past. Two different paths, two different worlds, but same life and same weirdness. My deviantart | |
|
|
| HangingThief | Oct 13 2016, 08:54 PM Post #32 |
ghoulish
|
Wha? I'm not entirely sure what you mean, but siphonohores are not likely to move onto land (how would they achieve this?) and insects would not be able to grow giant just by developing thick exoskeletons. |
|
Hey. | |
|
|
|
| Dakka! | Oct 13 2016, 08:59 PM Post #33 |
Prime Specimen
|
No I mean insects become siphonophores in the sense that they become even more eusocial eg. Ants become even more specialized and can combine into one single organism like a Man of War. I didn't mean literally Man of War comes onto land. As for the crab I don't mean huge insects just insects bigger than the norm but Illuminati clearly wants giant insects so ignore that part. Edited by Dakka!, Oct 13 2016, 09:00 PM.
|
|
"I was a Psychiatrist in Florida! For 3 weeks! Have you ever been to Florida?" Some project ideas The Future is Right Ediacaran Explosion Great Old Ones Skinkworld Unrelated:The Final Spec:What Could Have Been, And Still Can | |
|
|
|
| IIGSY | Oct 13 2016, 09:51 PM Post #34 |
|
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
|
But those are cnidarians, not arthropods... |
|
Projects Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates Last one crawling: The last arthropod ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess) Potential ideas- Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized. Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal. Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents. Quotes Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups In honor of the greatest clade of all time More pictures Other cool things All African countries can fit into Brazil
| |
|
|
|
| IIGSY | Oct 13 2016, 10:04 PM Post #35 |
|
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
|
How much less gravity do you suppose would allow arthropods to get bigger without making them float off the planet? |
|
Projects Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates Last one crawling: The last arthropod ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess) Potential ideas- Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized. Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal. Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents. Quotes Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups In honor of the greatest clade of all time More pictures Other cool things All African countries can fit into Brazil
| |
|
|
|
| Dakka! | Oct 13 2016, 10:14 PM Post #36 |
|
Prime Specimen
|
By siphonophore I mean a collection of insects that act together as a communal organism I just used siphonophore as an analogy. |
|
"I was a Psychiatrist in Florida! For 3 weeks! Have you ever been to Florida?" Some project ideas The Future is Right Ediacaran Explosion Great Old Ones Skinkworld Unrelated:The Final Spec:What Could Have Been, And Still Can | |
|
|
|
| IIGSY | Oct 13 2016, 10:21 PM Post #37 |
|
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
|
I still don't see how that would work, knowing that insects are a LOT more complex than cnidarians. |
|
Projects Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates Last one crawling: The last arthropod ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess) Potential ideas- Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized. Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal. Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents. Quotes Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups In honor of the greatest clade of all time More pictures Other cool things All African countries can fit into Brazil
| |
|
|
|
| Dakka! | Oct 13 2016, 10:40 PM Post #38 |
|
Prime Specimen
|
Okay never mind. It was just a suggestion. |
|
"I was a Psychiatrist in Florida! For 3 weeks! Have you ever been to Florida?" Some project ideas The Future is Right Ediacaran Explosion Great Old Ones Skinkworld Unrelated:The Final Spec:What Could Have Been, And Still Can | |
|
|
|
| HangingThief | Oct 14 2016, 05:19 AM Post #39 |
|
ghoulish
|
That's actually an interesting idea. Some insects (like scales) are already communal, have simplified anatomy and a semi- parthenogenic reproductive strategy. |
|
Hey. | |
|
|
|
| IIGSY | Oct 15 2016, 10:53 AM Post #40 |
|
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
|
A few questions. 1. Are selective mass extinctions a common mistake on this site? 2. Could the hydrolic pump system in spiders second as a hydrostatic skeleton? 3. Could there be a realistic extinction of vertebrates, that doesn't wipe out too many arthropods? Like a disease that deteriorates bones? 4. What arthropod would be most likely to develop sapience, if at all? |
|
Projects Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates Last one crawling: The last arthropod ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess) Potential ideas- Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized. Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal. Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents. Quotes Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups In honor of the greatest clade of all time More pictures Other cool things All African countries can fit into Brazil
| |
|
|
|
| CaledonianWarrior96 | Oct 15 2016, 03:45 PM Post #41 |
An Awesome Reptile
|
1) I don't know if there is such a thing as a selective mass extinction. MEs don't pick out certain creatures and doom them, it's whatever can't survive that dies out. In the Great Dying a lot of vertebrates died but so did a lot of invertebrates, and they died because they weren't adaptable enough to the change that occurred. 3) It seems highly unlikely such an extinction could occur. Not impossible but it would have to be something extensive enough to kill everything with a backbone. Take in mind something like that will probably wipe out most invertebrate life as well. Also that disease sounds like a super weapon from a movie (it's not a bad idea though). 4) I don't think any Earth arthropod could develop sapience, or if it could wouldn't develop for hundreds of millions of years. Just to point out I didn't leave out 2, I just don't know how to answer that Edited by CaledonianWarrior96, Oct 15 2016, 03:46 PM.
|
|
Come check out and subscribe to my projects on the following subforums; Future Planet (V.2): the Future Evolution of Life on Earth (Evolutionary Continuum) The Meuse Legacy: An Alternative Outcome of the Mosasaur (Alternative Evolution) Terra Cascus: The Last Refuge of the Dinosaurs (Alternative Evolution) - Official Project - Foundation The Beryoni Galaxy: The Biologically Rich and Politically Complex State of our Galaxy (Habitational Zone) - Beryoni Critique Thread (formerly: Aliens of Beryoni) The Ecology of Skull Island: An Open Project for the Home of King Kong (Alternative Universe) The Ecology of Wakanda: An Open Project for the Home of Marvel's Black Panther (Alternative Universe) (Click bold titles to go to page. To subscribe click on a project, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "track topic" on the bottom right corner) And now, for something completely different
| |
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
. Your ostracogene inspired me to do this. I thought, what if I took this a step further and wiped out vertebrates completely. I wanted to use creatures that are often ignored on this forum, like phasmids, barnacles, springtails, fleas, cockroaches, wolf spiders, geophilimorph centipedes and so on. Maybe I should do it on a terraformed planet before doing something earth related, like you said
 ZetaBoards gives you all the tools to create a successful discussion community. |
|
| « Previous Topic · Evolutionary Continuum · Next Topic » |
12:00 PM Jul 13