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Coral Reef-like
Biome
In
this Shangri-La of coral dominated colonies, our explorers
found a wealth of diverse marine life. The coral community
off the coast of Belenus accounts for over 30% of the coastline.
These coral communities were from 30 to 300 feet below sea
level, blessed with warm, clear, calm waters. Inside this
regions are found many sea coral animals, invertebrates,
polyps, small crustaceans, small fish, and crawlers and
walkers and suckers. The reefs are shaped by the constant
pounding of waves and by the abrasive qualities of moving
sand, pebbles and falling boulders. Large storm waves also
tear fragments of corals and polyps and deposit these pieces
elsewhere. These deposits become new plants and animals
by a process of cloning. The main source of food continued
to be plankton and photosynthesis for the vast majority
of species. The mouths of most animals have tentacles to
capture food. Small fish have started to produce hard shells
for protection from predators. This marine world is small,
the largest animal never reaching a length of 3 feet. The
coral reef-like ecology of Vesta is indeed a jewel of the
Madrone waters.
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Primary
Producers
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Teonpolypus
Teonpolypus
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The Teonpolypus species
is anchored with holdfasts below the sand and waves its tentacles
catching nutrients from the waters. The waving motion is also
an attempt to seek sunlight for the production of chlorophyll,
its main food source. At the end of each brownish stem is
a white flower-like shape, which is really a receptacle containing
sexual organs. Male and female sex cells are produced and
released into the sea to be fertilized. Once fertilized, the
cells settle on a rock or sandy location and start a new plant.
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Siongrass
Siongrass
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Siongrass can be found in
coral reef-like environments. This plant is normally found
in shallower water can grow at depths of 32m. Siongrasses
are a true algae. They produce spores for reproduction. Siongrasses
have holdfasts which anchor the plants to the sandy sea floor
and provide a home for fishes and invertebrates. While the
holdfasts of the Siongrasses serve to anchor the plants, they
are not necessary for water intake because the plant intakes
water through its many pores. Siongrasses collect nutrients
with their leaves which photosynthesize, and collect minerals
from the surrounding water. Some fishes use Siongrass beds
as shelter and as a safe place for laying their eggs.
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Primary
Consumers
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Cloop
Cloop
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Cloop
is a multicelluar animal found in this biome approximately
3 billion years ago. Cloop is a direct relative of Tloop.
Tloops lived in tide pool regions and survived the harsh living
environments of the tide pools with the help of barnacles.
Tloops and barnacles learned to survive among other plants
and animals of the tide pools. Cloops experienced many physical
changes during the few millions of year they spent in the
coral reefs. Cloops developed swimming flippers because they
were needed to move throughout the coral reefs. The hard calcium
shells gathered on the prehistoric Tloops’ backs continued
to grow. Although the shells were a problem for the evolving
Cloops, they proved to be useful against enemies. Cloop fed
on various plants including sea grasses and seaweed. The new
shell evolved for self defense and survival of the species.
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Coraons
Coraon
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Coraons
emerged approximately 3.0 billion years ago. Coraons are hardy
water plants that emerged in the reef-like communities of Manticore
Ocean. A reef is a coral community consisting of several thousand
coral organisms living together attached to the sea floor. Coral
reef-like communities are found in warm clear waters that have
slight temperature changes. Moreover, corals are animals that
have algae growing inside of them, a type of partnership. Algae
give corals nourishment. What's more, corals are animals called
polyps. Polyps are tube shaped creatures with a central opening
at the top forming a mouth. These mouths extend into the water
waving tentacles around freely as they work catching food.
And so, the Coraon is a type of algae that grows on the corals.
Coraon is categorized as burgundy, brick red, and sometimes
even purplish brown algae. The pigment phycoerythrin, gives
the Coraons their red color. Coraons grow like rigid overlapping
wafers. Coraons are important in the formation of reefs because
they secrete hard shells of magnesium and calcium carbonate
around themselves. These hard shells of carbonate help form
reefs by building new rocks and cementing the reef-like structure
together. Because Coraons lived so closely to the corals, they
were once thought of as being a coral, but now we know they
are a red algae which have a symbiotic partnership with corals. |
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Teonwheel
Teonwheel
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Becoming
eager to leave a stationary lifestyle, Teontidal sprouted wiry
legs from its disk shaped body and began walking around! Hello
new world! This
independent movement was
an important evolutionary step for the Teonnimbus species. Teonwheel
sensed light and could sense nearby movement through sensing
vibrations. Teonwheel began using its jet propulsion movement
to travel...another new innovation. Life was good! This jet
propulsion ability eventually allowed this species to leave
the coral reef-like biome. Jet propulsion movement required
the use of special muscles, called coronal muscles, embedded
on the underside of the disk which pushed water out of its hollow
belly. As water was pushed in one direction, the Teonwheel moved
in the opposite direction, much like a sling shot. A ring of
sex organs had formed around the edge of the underside of the
disk. Fertilized male and female eggs were dropped by the thousands
upon the sandy sea floor.
Teonwheel feed upon algae and sea water nutrients. In fact,
this species always had green algae living inside its belly.
This algae photosynthesize nutrients for the host. In turn,
the host transported and sheltered the algae. The scary spider
look was a defense mechanism because it really was only a delicate,
slimy little "cookie". |
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Secondary
Consumers
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Giant
Teon
Giant Teon
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Beneath
the transparent dome, which grew to a massive size of two feet
in diameter, there is a large mouth with waving tentacles. The
tentacles grab prey, inject a paralyzing poison into the prey
and then slowly push the fresh fish into its mouth. Moreover,
these tentacles have important nerve sensors which sense taste,
light from dark ,
and
nearby movement.
Remaining an invertebrate, the Giant Teon is without a heart,
has no blood or gills, and yet this predator has flourished
by virtue of the use of its senses.
Curiously though, the Giant Teon's diet includes live green
algae which permanently resides as a guest lodged in its belly.
The Giant Teon stays
in close proximity to sunlight, so that the internal live algae
would photosynthesize and render nutrients to the host. This
symbiotic relationship solves the riddle of how a transparent
species could exist without blood or chlorophyll of its own.
For self defense, the Giant Teon's long poisonous tentacles
and its transparent nature has proven to work quite well.
Sexual reproduction by by male and female Giant Teons allows
diversity in appearance and abundance in numbers. |
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Sionhermitcrab
Sionhermitcrab
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Sionhermitcrab
lives at the bottom of the kelp-like forest floor but has also
been found rapidly walking around on the coral reef-like sea
floors. Being a walker, it is sentenced to the life of a scavenger
for the most part, and a scavenger's diet. It has a soft coiled
abdomen protected by a snail shell. It protects its abdomen,
which contains such important organs as the liver and the gonads,
by inserting it into a gastropod shell. When the crab grows
too big and does not fit in its current shell, it looks for
a bigger shell. The original occupant, if still present, is
agressively picked out. Then quickly and nervously, the crab
moves into its new home. Sionhermitcrab is a shameless little
coward, not showing a scrap of conscience to the poor fellow
neighbor animal, gastrpod shell. The hard shell and angry look
were a defense mechanism for Sionhermitcrab. |
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