| 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! |
| Could plants and fungi take the role of tress?; Very important question | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Jun 3 2018, 03:06 PM (247 Views) | |
| CeratosaurusKing | Jun 3 2018, 03:06 PM Post #1 |
![]()
Residential ceratosaurus fanboy
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
So i need to know a answer for this for my recent project called raparia where no trees are introduced and instead plants and fungi take that niche. What i need to know is could they produce a good amount of oxygen for organisms to live on and is this possible? Also i appreciate criticism on my project |
|
Projects in work Raparia Future project ideas: Tale of the horned beasts - A alternate evolution project where ceratosaurus never went extinct and instead evovled to better fit the new challenges they shall face ahead of them. Umber - A alternate universe project where portals have been opening up to a moon named "umber" other then a few species of freshwater and saltwater fish, as well as invertebrates. Pangolins,Iguanas,Noasauriade, and Cuttlefish are the most prominet group of animals. | |
![]() |
|
| Rodlox | Jun 3 2018, 03:16 PM Post #2 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
yes, non-tree plants could provide plenty of O2. fungi...not sure; sorry |
|
.---------------------------------------------. Parts of the Cluster Worlds: "Marsupialless Australia" (what-if) & "Out on a Branch" (future evolution) & "The Earth under a still sun" (WIP) | |
![]() |
|
| suchipithecus | Jun 3 2018, 04:01 PM Post #3 |
|
Newborn
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Now, I'm not an expert, but fungi are heterotrophs. Unless they could potentially be a second 'layer' of forest, growing out of the top or bottom of a forest, so that it forms a sort of separate canopy, feeding off the other plants, they won't form large ecosystems.
Edited by suchipithecus, Jun 3 2018, 04:02 PM.
|
![]() |
|
| CaledonianWarrior96 | Jun 3 2018, 04:22 PM Post #4 |
![]()
An Awesome Reptile
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Could this not have been posted in the QTDNTOT thread? But to further add to this, a tree by definition is any plant that can develop a woody trunk and reach sizes that are an excess of a few metres or around about that size. I mean theortically given enough time and the right conditions, even pretty simple plant species could evolve into trees. My main point being that whatever plants you add to your project may have a good chance of evolving into trees anyway. Edited by CaledonianWarrior96, Jun 3 2018, 04:23 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
| |
![]() |
|
| truteal | Jun 3 2018, 08:38 PM Post #5 |
|
forum bigfoot
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
What type of Plants? |
|
My sporadically updated Youtube page Do you get it? I hardly ever come here so I'm like something a cryptozoologist would study | |
![]() |
|
| Sheather | Jun 3 2018, 09:12 PM Post #6 |
![]() ![]()
|
Please don't discourage separate topics for specific concept discussions, these were once the foundation of the forum and since that thread, the quality of discussion on the site in my view has degraded as there's always a new question to take priority, and soon old ones are forgotten - if they get attention at all. On the subject of trees you are correct. Trees are not a taxonomic, related group. They include a lot of totally unrelated species allied only by size. Trees or at least the tree-like form have evolved from as unlikely seeming lineages as squash, cacti, ferns, and legumes (the pea family.) Long ago, there were horsetail trees. If a plant can produce woody tissue and transport water upwards it can evolve into a tree. Fungus are more restricted because they cannot photosynthesize. Fungal trees could function as parasites but could not be free-living without adapting to produce chlorophyll - not necessarily impossible, particularly if there was some weird horizontal gene transfer involved, but not especially likely either. |
![]() The Gaiaverse | Eden | Terra Metropolis | Life of the Sylvan Islands | Other Spec Evo | Sheatheria | Serina | The Last Dinosaur A Wholesome and Good Thing | Sam | | |
![]() |
|
| Tartarus | Jun 3 2018, 11:35 PM Post #7 |
|
Prime Specimen
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
If we're using the term "tree" to refer to just various forms of tall columnar life forms that cannot move from the spot where they are, then fungal trees have already existed in Earth's past. The prototaxites were big tree-like fungi that were a big thing in the Silurian and Devonian.
|
![]() |
|
| Caesio16 | Jun 8 2018, 04:02 PM Post #8 |
|
the sweet jingle-jangle of the coral triangle
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Um... sorry, noob, but I think that trees actually are plants... |
|
Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle GENERATION 28: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment. Wkhuh duh rqob wzr jhqghuv | |
![]() |
|
| Velociraptor | Jun 8 2018, 04:05 PM Post #9 |
![]()
Reptile
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
No need to be so rude |
![]() Unnamed No K-Pg project: coming whenever, maybe never. I got ideas tho. | |
![]() |
|
| Archeoraptor | Jun 8 2018, 06:35 PM Post #10 |
|
"A living paradox"
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
yeah trees are plants that is a given, but I suppose he was referring to not tree plants basically as sheather mentioned a lot of plant groups have become trees, even today we have tree-ferns, nothing stopping that happening ey I would evolution encourages tree like forms rather frequently unless there is a desert or something |
|
Astarte an alt eocene world,now on long hiatus but you never know Fanauraa; The rebirth of Aotearoa future evo set in new zealand after a mass extinction coming soon......a world that was seeded with earth´s weridest and who knows what is coming next........... " I have to know what the world will be looking throw a future beyond us I have to know what could have been if fate acted in another way I have to know what lies on the unknown universe I have to know that the laws of thee universe can be broken throw The Spec I gain strength to the inner peace the is not good of evil only nature and change,the evolution of all livings beings" " Spoiler: click to toggle | |
![]() |
|
| SpeculativeNebula | Jun 9 2018, 07:06 AM Post #11 |
|
Fetus
![]() ![]()
|
Specifically about fungal photosynthetic trees (as opposed to all tall columnar sessile organisms) while they might not exist on their own, could lichen-like symbiotic organisms ever become tree-like under the right circumstances? Say they got a head start over other groups in becoming tall (and structurally strong enough to grow tall) and reaching light over other light-dependant organisms. I'm not too familiar with lichens or the potential for a fungus/phototroph symbiosis to become a dominating tree species. |
|
Deviant art accounts: Speculative evolution, natural history and aliens Story worlds and miscellaneous art Fantasy and unlikely creatures | |
![]() |
|
| HangingThief | Jun 9 2018, 07:22 AM Post #12 |
![]()
ghoulish
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The issue with lichens is that they currently lack an effective way to transport water and nutrients. |
|
Hey. | |
![]() |
|
| SpeculativeNebula | Jun 9 2018, 10:54 AM Post #13 |
|
Fetus
![]() ![]()
|
I was sort of thinking could they eventually evolve the infrastructure needed, given time and lack of competition from true plants. However I don't know the specifics of OP's project. If oxygen production is what you need, while forests do provide a lot of that much of the oxygen we get here on Earth, a lot of it also comes from microscopic organisms, especially sea plankton. If your planet's seas can support phytoplankton and they're being seeded with them I think they would become a large contributor of oxygen production. Couldn't even guess as to how long it'd take to make the air breathable though, assuming there's nothing else in the air that could be toxic. |
|
Deviant art accounts: Speculative evolution, natural history and aliens Story worlds and miscellaneous art Fantasy and unlikely creatures | |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · General Spec · Next Topic » |





















7:44 PM Jul 10