Water Plants

You may be asking yourself now, does every new species succesfully evolve? The fossil record shows traces of a plant, Nitroplastus sans sulfurplastus that did not evolve successfully.. Although It was determined to be a direct descendant of Klump floter it did not contain any sulfurplasts. It is odd indeed that this species evolved at all, the conditions under which it evolved are unknown due to the scant evidence. What is known is that the concentration of nitrogen in this plant's environment was not enough to help this plant reproduce and it went extinct. Other evidence points to the shape of the cell, it became more rounded and it is entirely possible that this new shape impeded movement of the plant into new environments.

About 2.4 million years later a new descendant of Klump floter appeared, which was a successful species, the Superiorus clumpersunation (AKA Super Clumper). Upon closer inspection it was determined that the Klump floters had actually linked to other Klump floaters and were now found in large quantities. These groups could be seen by the naked eye. An elastic protein had formed connections amongst the cells, it was this protein that gave the plant a greenish hue. The yellow and blue tint of the energy producing organelles also contributed to the color of the plant. The largest Super Clumper ever seen was 4 inches long.

Below we present the geneological chart of Zule and its descendants over billions of years.

	Ancestral Cell of the Plants in the Open Ocean - "The Zule of the Ocean" The first plant evolved directly from Hysus in the deep, hydrothermal, oceanic vents of the ocean. Hysus gave rise to Nemori. From Nemori the first protoplant cell evolved, called Zule. When viewed under a microscope with special coloration, Zule looks yellow and green, but in reality it is colorless. It is believed that since they adapted near the ocean vents they did not require pigmentation thus they do not show that adaptation. Since Zules do not have cell walls they are limp and float in the ocean currents. Neither do they possess a nucleus, rather their genetic material floats randomly inside their cellular membrane. They have very small vacuoles interspersed throughout their cytosol, the inference from this trait is that any waste is simply excreted into the ocean water using an osmotic concentration gradient. Zules are autotrophic, they produce their own food using dissolved minerals in the ocean currents and an organelle that was recently discovered to be similar to a chloroplast, which is called a sulfurplast. The organelle takes sulfur from its surrounding area and converts the sulfur to an energy molecule. It is this mechanism that prevented the evolution of Zule for over a billion years because the cells could only live near the hydrothermal vents. This cell multiplied itself by simple cell division.
Zule seen in it's natural, colorless state (below).

	About 1.9 billion years after the rise of Zules two events changed the course of evolution. A hydrothermal vent was opened wider and a rush of tectonic activity caused the vent to increase in height nearer the ocean surface. A new, better adapted plant appeared in these ocean depths. This plant, known as a klump floter, has unusually specific adaptations that allow it to keep using the sulfur from the vents while their structure undergoes new changes. The shape of the cell is now more aerodynamic and the ends of the cells resemble fins, which are called elevators. These structures allow the cells to float farther away from the vents. Think of an elevator as a wing, it allows the cells to "glide" farther along the ocean currents. I know you are now probably wondering about their food, right? The sulfurplast acquires some pigmentation and the first steps of photosynthesis are conducted by this structure. When the concentration of sulfur falls below 30 parts per million, the sulfurplast ceases using sulfur and instead uses nitrogen to create the same energy packets. The number of vacuoles decreases, now there are only two, one for sulfur waste and the other for nitrogen waste. These cells still remained microscopic.

You may be asking yourself now, does every new species succesfully evolve? The fossil record shows traces of a plant, Nitroplastus sans sulfurplastus that did not evolve successfully.. Although It was determined to be a direct descendant of Klump floter it did not contain any sulfurplasts. It is odd indeed that this species evolved at all, the conditions under which it evolved are unknown due to the scant evidence. What is known is that the concentration of nitrogen in this plant's environment was not enough to help this plant reproduce and it went extinct. Other evidence points to the shape of the cell, it became more rounded and it is entirely possible that this new shape impeded movement of the plant into new environments.		This plant cell required large amounts of nitrogen to survive. Notice the rounded shape and lack of sulfurplasts.

About 2.4 million years later a new descendant of Klump floter appeared, which was a successful species, the Superiorus clumpersunation (AKA Super Clumper). Upon closer inspection it was determined that the Klump floters had actually linked to other Klump floaters and were now found in large quantities. These groups could be seen by the naked eye. An elastic protein had formed connections amongst the cells, it was this protein that gave the plant a greenish hue. The yellow and blue tint of the energy producing organelles also contributed to the color of the plant. The largest Super Clumper ever seen was 4 inches long.

Evolution of Plants on Rocky Shores As plants kept floating in the ocean they adapted to differing environments. More nutrients were found closer to the surface of the water and some plants became anchored to rocky surfaces as those found along the rocky shores. An assortment of life forms existed in these large colonies. The protein that kept the cells together now also attached the clumper cells to the surfaces and a new way of feeding for the plants arose. The cells differentiated into attachment cells. The cells not used for attachment underwent a symbiotic relationship with a bacteria that used sunlight to create its own food. The plant and bacteria were dependent on one another and formed a new species: the Photoclumperius absorbus. The light collecting organelles were more important, the sulfurplasts and nitroplasts were lost, the electroplasts now collected sunlight and created the energy needed for the plants survival and new pigments were acquired. This plant can be found up to 180 feet below the surface of the water. The plant ranged in size from 11 inches up to five feet. Another interesting feature were the extensions found along the sides of the leaves. As nutrients were swept next to the plant, the extensions enabled the capture of nutrients that other plants would ordinarily lose, these extensions derived from the elevators which were quite prevalent in the cells. The outside cells specialized into the extensions. At the cell level a protonucleus evolved and an early form of a cell wall can be seen in this plant which helps the plant stay upright even when tough currents are hitting the plant. Many sea animals and microorganisms used this plant as their sole sustenance due to the large amount of vegetation it produced. Any leaf that broke off or was chewed off started a new plant given that light and nutrients were close by.

Evolution of Plants in Mud Flats, Estuaries and Land Our plant journey ends with the modern descendant of the Zule cell, a plant called Zuleus angiospermus terribilus. This species introduced many a marvel in its cellular organization and reproduction. This was the first plant to exhibit cellular meiosis in a full-fledged nucleus. The stem cells now differentiated not into three types, but up to fifteen types of cells to allow the plant full survival. The most noticeable difference that appeared in this plant was the fruit it evolved. The fruit appeared as yellow and red clumps which attracted more ocean wildlife to this plant and aided in its propagation to further reaches of Kronos. Birds would swoop into the water to capture its fruit. When the birds defecated outside of water the remains of the plant would grow into a new plant. This plant started growing in mud flats and estuaries as well as on land and was a food source for land creatures. The plant could reproduce vegetatively as in its previous lineage could also undergo meiosis, which means that it could fertilize itself and make a spore. This spore would be swept away to other ocean reaches by currents or animals. The population of this plant is the largest on the planet both in and out of water. In water these plants reached twenty five feet in length and on land the plant reached up to 13 feet. It was given the terribilus name because it secreted a liquid that killed any plants in its near vicinty. This plant does not like competition.
Below we present the geneological chart of Zule and its descendants over billions of years.