The Aquatic Plants of Populus
The Durnam Family
Early Plants
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In the shallow tropical waters of Populus, single celled organisms were a prelude to a large variety of aquatic plants that are now found on this fascinating planet. One family of plants evolved out of the Durnam cell. The Durnam cell, which lived on top of the ocean surface, had dark dots that allowed the energy of the sun to be absorbed by it, allowing photosynthesis to occur. Being an asexual organism, the Durnam cells replicated without the need of other cells and spread throughout the oceans. Through the centuries, the Durnam cells evolved to adapt to new environments in order to sustain its existence. |
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This first adaptation occurred when the single celled organisms clumped together. The multicellular plant they formed was made up of many Durnam cells joined together. The chloroplasts in these cells made sugars which provided energy for growth. As they moved into different environments they slowly evolved into more complex life forms in order to survive the changing climate of Populus. |
The Durnam Develops
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The Durnam was the first microscopic plant that used two antenna-like fibers to move around freely in the shallow tropical waters of Populus. In fact, this design enabled the Durnam to travel at will to other ocean biomes as well. Another interesting adaptation of the Durnam was its development of an anchoring system that allowed it come to rest on rocks in shallow ocean waters. Over the next 400 million years the Durnam evolved into four new species each adapting to its own biome. |
Rocky Tropical Shores
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The Durnanium water plant is the result of the mitosis of the Durnam plant over millions of years. Many Durnams came to rest on the rocky tropical shores of Populus. They evolved into the Durnanium water plant. The Durnaniums have many rubbery stalks with air bubbles inside each stalk that make them buoyant. The cells of the plant tissue contain chloroplasts that use water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight to make life sustaining sugars. They have strong holdfasts that allow them to cling to the rocky underwater surfaces which are close to the surface. Durnaniums have an average length of about 15 to 20 inches and grow in the tidal zone where the water depth is from one to ten feet. |
Rocky Polar Shores
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Some Durnams evolved into Durnamdrills which adapted themselves to live in Populus's Rocky Polar Shores where the water depth is from one to fifteen feet. The Durnamdrill is a small rigid plant of about 7 to 8 inches in height that attaches itself to rocks very near the surface with its very powerful holdfasts. The Durnamdrills generally grow next to each other in large bunches. This allows them greater protection in violent storms as they tend to hold each other in place. The Durnamdrills also grow close to each other because they have the ability to share the nourishing chemicals that are dissolved in the polar waters. This allows a "weakened" Durnamdrill to be "mothered" into good health by a neighboring plant. This adaptation has allowed the Durnamdrills to florish in the rocky polar shores of Populus. |
Estuaries
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The Durnams also made their way to the Estuaries of Populus. They evolved into a hearty thin bladed grass of three to four feet in length that tend to grow right below the surface of the water. Tens of thousands of Durnam grasses grow close together anchoring themselves with strong holdfasts that cling to rocks and sand. A result of this closeness in growth is that many species of fish and other water animals live among the Durnam Grass, because it offers them protection from the constantly moving river and ocean currents. The Durnam grass also benefits from the rich chemical nature of the water as a result of the constant supply of decaying matter contributed by the animal species that live within its flowing blades. |
Shallow Tropical Oceans
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In the warm Shallow Tropical Oceans of Populus the Durnam plant evolved into a water plant known as Spawn Durnam which now covers thousands of vast acre sized areas of the ocean floor between the continents of Durin and Gloen. The waters in which the Spawn Durnam grow have become special areas for hundreds of species of fish. The fish rely on the Spawn Durnam's short dense blades to protect their eggs from hungry predators looking for their next meal. The synergy between plant and fish is apparent because the health of one affects the health of the other. The Spawn Durnam relies on the fish that sometimes travel up to a thousand miles to lay their eggs within its light green blades. The small holdfasts of the Spawn Durnam that cling to rocks and small pebbles on the ocean bottom have developed a way to absorb some of the nutrient rich fish eggs that happen to land between the lower part of its blades. So a healthy fish population is important to the survival of the Spawn Durnam and vice versa. The Spawn Durnam generally grow 3 to 8 inches in length and thrives in shallow tropical waters between the depths of 5 to 15 feet. |
Water Plant Evolution
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