ENTROPOLIA

CHAPTER SEVEN: ENTROPOLIA'S UNDERWATER HABITAT


One of the most fascinating aspects of life in Entropolia's oceans is the way in which the plants and animals have evolved into an interdependent community. For the oceans of Entropolia it begins with microscopic Unicos and autotrophic green plants which are the base of the ecological pyramid.

This digram indicates the proportion of producers to consumers in order for the food chain to exist and life to prosper.

The producers of the oceans are the Lumers, Hydrocoselenia, Hypercunning and Hydrocoselenia. It is important to note that the Hydrocoselenia plants release 90% of the world's oxygen. These plants are the producers of the oceans because they make their own food through photosynthesis. All other organisms are unable to make their own food and so depend on producers. They eat plants, or they feed on the remains of plants and animals. Producers make food for all the other organisms in the ecosystem, providing the entry point through which Loomy's energy flows into the biosphere.

Organisms that cannot make their own food are known as consumers. Primary consumers, such as the ameboid, eat producers, such as plants. Secondary consumers, such as the Hirson, eat primary consumers.

This is the typical food chain on Entropolia:

Organisms that break down the remains of dead animals and plants are called decomposers. They play a vital role in the ecosystem by releasing nutrients that would otherwise remain trapped inside dead organisms into the surrounding soil, air and water. Once released, the nutrients can be reused by other living things.

The struggle for equilibrium is constantly being challenged in the oceans of Entropolia due to new organisms evolving and trying to find their niches within the community. Micro organisms, fish and floating plants do not stay in one community. Movement from one area to another can cause stress on a community that has not evolved to the point of supporting new organisms without the threat of extinction. The community then changes to find a new equilibrium.

On Entropolia there are two distinct aquatic communities: shallow water ecosystems and deep water ecosystems. The shallow water ecosystems depend on photosynthetic activities of Lumers and plants. Lumers are the unicelled photsynthesizing organisms providing the base of the shallow water ecosystem. The primary consumers are Pikriyotics, worm-like organisms. The secondary consumers are Barcs, they have a hard exoskeleton with movable joints. At the end of each arm, they have pinchers. These pinchers provide the necessary tool for killing Pikriyotics. This ecosystem is successful because there is abundant supply of Lumers to provide food for the Pikriyotics. There are just enough Pikriyotics to feed the Barcs. The decomposers of the ecosystem are slimy masses of Unicos, they slither across the ocean floor absorbing decomposing material.

The ecosystem of the deep oceans rely on Colina, a leafy plant found on the deep ocean floor. The Colinia produce ocean forests for ocean life to thrive. The primary consumers are Elephantus, medium herbivore fish that live in the Colinia forests. The secondary consumers are Scorpandos, a large carnivore fish that preys on Elephantus'. The decomposers of the ecosystem are the Salosuckers, scavenger fish that dwell on the ocean floor sucking up decomposing plant and animal material.


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