Life on Eile

Eilen(anything that is native to Eile) life is carbon-based, and use water as a medium, requiring elements like hydrogen, sulphur, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus being organised. We are going to over the main groups of life that is on Eile.

The major domains of life on Eile

Domain Propogatorae: This is a domain of self-replicating simple proteins that seem to be most abundant at rich volcanic slews of the Volcanic habitats.Too simple to be life yet too complex to be a molecule.

Domain Euvira: These are Eile's domain of true "viruses" and are most akin to them, which are basically pieces of DNA in protein coats trying to parasitise on organic cells.

Domain Nanoa: Simplest beings which are complex enough to be counted as Organisms on Eile, they often are more akin in complex to the simplest prokaryotes on Earth, maybe a domain of complex proteins who try to be "prokaryote" analogues but at the same time require symbiotic relationship to live would be a role more fitting to these peculiar organisms. 

Domain Paliokaryota: Eile's most ancient and poorly understood domain of life. Most organisms are unicellular and inhabit similiar niches as unicellular organisms do on Earth. However, a poorly understood clade, known as the Igolids( igol;igolka;spike/needle ) previously thought to belong to the Korenids(closest thing to "plant" analogues on Eile) have been analyzed to belong to this domain of life, effectively reclassifying as the most isolated group of multicellular life to exist on Eile.

Throughout the cold beaches of the isolated Ruka Macro-Peninsula, part of the great Voreios Polar continent on Eile, one can see the Pinasora solus EILE "Lonely coastpine EILE", on the upper areas of the beach. Using xanthophyll pigments, tough "hide" and a strong internal structure connecting the roots, these small organisms are unique producers that dominate the niche present. These organisms are part of the Igolids. 

Domain Anapnoikaryota : The Anapnoikaryotes are the Eukaryote analogues, they possess a Nuclearate(Nucleus analogue) and an anapnoiate ( Mitochondria analogue), which differ in almost nothing. Anapnoikaryotes were able to achieve multicellularity just as with our Eukaryotes with Anapnoikaryotes developing into several multicellular and unicellular kingdoms.

Major/relevant kingdoms of Anapnoikaryote life 

Kingdom Photoida/Korenida : These are the true "plants" of Eile, a specimen/specimens of the kingdom Korenida are called Photoids/Korenids, the korenids taking the niche of primary producers of the planet,being autotrophic sessile organisms, capable of making their own food through photosynthesis, hence the name photosessilida. Being detectable from space itself by their green colouration and sometimes red in tundra habitats, having a wider range of photosynthetic pigments, including xanthophyll, a brownish yellow. They are found in aquatic habitats to denseforest habitats to the coldest of the pole habitats and have a wider range of photosynthetic pigments , though, most tend to use chlorophyll pigments, especially in the more hospitable regions of Eile. Photoids can be found in every nook, cranny and fold on the surface of Eile. Photoids are exclusively multicellular. They are able to use root-esque structures, branched holdfast structures , or hyphae-like structures to root themselves in place.

Kingdom Heteroida/Anapneteroida: This kingdom is exclusively sessile heterotrophs, which use a variety of ways to get their energy, they also are found in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. They seem to be a strange mixture of possessing features which are akin to fungi,and features which are akin to animals. Some clades have the ability to filter feed using basic digestive systems underwater.Some clades are able to take the niche of decomposers on land and feed on exohummus and decaying matter via mycelium-like threads, plus conducting symbiotic/parasitic relationships with other organisms. Heteroids usually reproduce asexually. 

Heteroids and Anapnoils have a blurry line in terms of classification when it comes to aquatic heteroids and some sessile anapnoizoans, including poroidians which have a very, very close genetic relationship with heteroids, including sharing basal ancestral "parent" genetic information, and look very similiar. A lot of these sessile anapnoizoans then share basal genetic information with the typical motile "animals"/anapnoils.

It is therefore, widely agreed upon that Anapnoizoa is a derived kingdom, with somewhere in some derived metazoan-like anapneteroid clade began using a "motile" stage to spread more effectively. 

Kingdom Anapnoizoa: The metazoan analogue on Eile, they are the higher organisms of Eile, a member of the Anapnoizoa is called an Anapnoil. Anapnoils are the highest organisms on Eile, with the most complex systems and structures known on Eile. They are found from Aquatic habitats to polar habitats, having unique adaptations and specialisations in many areas.

 

Cladogram of the relevant phylums in the kingdom of Anapnoizoa

Articulusida: These are unique organisms, evolving motile joints from armoured chitinous segments . These evolved from slug-like creatures. Mainly microfaunal and possess cartiliginous mesoskeletons, in contrast possessing flesh similiar in structure to earthen molluscs .

Eumollisida/Carnesformae : The eumollisids are true "mollusc analogues", however, some clades possess segmented internal shells which help them to get larger than earthen molluscs, even developing a sort of iron pseudo-skeleton in some specialised, more higher and evolved clades. Strange clades of aquatic "pseudo-snakes" and "pseudo-eels" belong to this phylum, having a iron-infused skeletal structure and assuming predator niches. Despite this evolution, they are still mainly micro-faunal and part of the larger inapothemaite super-phylum on Eile. In a peculiar manner, some have de-evolved into worm-like forms in this phylum.

Poroida: An exclusively aquatic phylum of mainly sessile sponge-like creatures which are poorly understood. They take the niches of sessile filter feeders in the aquatic habitats, most interestingly, there are also specialised clades of sessile poroids widespread in freshwater habitats. Their name comes from the fact many of the are porous/ use porous appendages to gain food in the ocean. Some classes however have become mobile, albeit microscopic, perhaps descending from microscopic poroids that decided to stay microscopic and motile. In this phylum, heteroida/poroid classification becomes extremely, extremely fuzzy.

Gelataida: This phylum is made up of transparent and sometimes opaque organisms, characterized by their "gelatinous" appearance. It is the only phylum that contains "composite anapnoils", groups of gelataids from different clades evolving to be part of a larger organisms at some point of their lives, which assume certain niches. 

Eubrachida: A mainly worm-like phylum quite important to many ecosystems of Eile , being decomposers, parasites, and filter feeders. 

Apothemaasvestiouida: This super-phylum is made of organisms who have evolved to have some form of calcium/ hydroxyapatite+ collagen bone in their body. A member of this phylum is called an apothemaite.

There are two supraforms of apothemaites,that are classified based on shared physiology and appearance rather than relations, the first is euchordate apothemaites, of those who look closer to "vertebrates" on Earth. Euchordate apothemaites deserve their own future dedicated post explaining what are they and how they function, But briefly;

Appendixaforma; This phylum has the basal traits of having appendages for various sensory functions, including antennae for hearing, smelling. 

Dyopoda; This phylum has two limbs that function as legs (or fins depending on the habitat) as it's basal traits along with a peculiar internal support structure. 

Caputicentralisida; This phylum retains a peculiar centralised system in an enlarged encaphalon that at times fuses with the rest of it's body, as a basal traits, and needing appendages which consume and crush food.

 These include the sub-phylums of caputicentralisida, the appendixaforma, and the dyopoda. Second are parachordate apothemaites, which are the Quadrachordata and Apotheamischosita. 

Quadrachordata;  "Echinodermesque" clade that evolved in a variety of habitats, each possesses inherited radial to bilateral symmetry and the four "spino-chords". They have evolved in various shapes.

Apotheamischosita; Mainly sessile organisms akin to tunicates or sponges on earth. 

Basic Timeline of the Planet of Eile

 

Note: "Modern class"- nowaday clades

5.12 billion years ago: the planet begins formation. Planetary collisions with a planet at the time causes a 170°(10°) axial tilt and a result a capturing of 2 large asteroid moons , Vera and Nadyezhda, both being 700km in diameter as stated in the previous entry.

5.0 billion years ago: Eile would fully consolidate.

4.512 billion years ago: first undisputable evidence of Eile's life would be found. 

3.56 billion years ago: eukaryote-analogues form. 

1 billion years ago: first multicellular life evolves. 

700 million years ago: a period of mass extinctions and and conditions caused by the unpredictable tides caused by the captured asteroids forces the multicellular life to diversify and speciate. As well as this, small photosessilids begin coming on to land and the apothemaites form and rapidly diversify underwater, with the Caputicentralisid, appendixaform, and Duopeda classes rising rapidly. 

600- 450 million years ago: Vertebrate forms begin transition onto land, descending from basal mesoskeletal and exoskeletal(more similiar to crocodilian hide than classic exoskeletons) mobile bilaterian apothemaites(Caputicentralisids, Appendixaforms, and dyopodia) , during this stronger tides which are reminiscent of the strength of our modern moon takes place, albeit still unpredictable, this unpredictability is what brought these basal small mesoskeletal and "exoskeletal" clades onto land, as with weaker and yet more unpredictable tidal pools, you were most likely stuck in them for longer, needing to evolve lungs to carry out atmospheric respiration and if a tidal pool completely wiped out, you needed evolve legs. This process took over dozens of millions years, with only a full vertebrate-form transition onto land finally taking place around 450 millions years ago, with all the invertebrate-forms having been on land way longer and way earlier.

450 -350 million years ago: The Caputicentralisid clades dominate the land and diversify and speciate into various advanced herbivorous and predatory forms. However this also causes an extinction of the large invertebrate forms at the end of this era. In this era, a transition of ectothermic Caputicentralisida into endothermic Caputicentralisida begins, as well as the major groups of terrestrial bilaterian Apothemaites (Caputicentralisida, Dyopodia, Appendixaforma) develop true endoskeletons and lose exoskeletons/mesoskeletons. 

As you can see, tidal movements have rather slowed down the development of terrestrial vertebrate forms on Eile, as they are not as strong as seen on Earth.

350- 250 millions years ago: The titan era of Anapazoan life , largest Anapnoils develop on Eile, mainly from the Caputicentralisid clade.

249 million years ago: A meteor hits Eile causing a mass extinction of dominant caputicentralisid clades. 

200 million years ago: Modern caputicentralisid, Appendixaform, and Duopod clades arise. 

Today: You are reading Eile.

The Great Tomorrow: "The Great Tomorrow" will be getting a post sometime in the future but briefly in 5 words; History of Humanity and Eile.

Diagacht, The System.

The Diagacht system is the name of the Solar system that Eile is located in. The Diagacht System has 6 planets, 4 of them are terrestrial planets, 2 of them gas giants, 1 of them a boiling hycean planet. 

Diagram of the Diagacht System 

Now , let's go through some basic information of the star and it's planets.

A peculiar star, one must say.

This planet is theorized to have been a 'greedy' planet, gaining more and more mass while getting pulled in closer by Diagacht. It is classified as Hycean planet.

This is the smallest planet in the Diagacht system.

One can say that she is Venus' sister. 

Now you know how Eile's moons look like 

It possesses many asteroids.

This planet is a Lord in it's own right. Now, you can't see the big blueish spot because it's covered by shadow, and it's in the South Pole of Indra

Also known as Aurelia; Gold.

The Wanderer and Watcher of the Grounds

 O, what shall be the wanderer,

scrawling upon the legs of hex 

He searches among the trees 

The watcher waits aside 

in the crowded space

where, given chance, wanderer appears,

seeking it's purpose 

in clarity to the watcher.

The first and second layers of the Tuaisceartan Denseforest network is the forest floor and the understory layers, much similarly functioning to the rainforests we see on Earth. 

The two species of this entry we are focusing on, is an appendixaform, and the dyopod. We haven't interacted with these groups of life in a long time, to briefly explain these groups, these are the "vertebrates" of Eile, along with caputicentralisids (watch for the next entry!), the most obvious distinction between the two groups is the hexa/tetrapodal features for appendixaforms, and the dyopodal features for dyopods. 

Aurumcupitor vulgaris EILE or the common Forestwanderer, is an organism which is part of the clade Feithida, whose hexapodal structure evolved to look like an "insects" on earth, although they do not completely look like one. This organisms particular niche is a some sort of denseforest browser, picking on leaves, undergrowth and other dead matter in order to survive. It is delicate and careful in the dense environment, and are often seen in groups of 3-6 in order to survive predation. A single specimen is depicted in the picture, it is as seen in the said image, dark-blueish and almost hairless. Due to the humid environment.

Lower dense forest layers can often be quite dense as seen in the background. This organisms use the little amount of sunlight and decaying matter to sustain their growths. Despite how these pictures are illustrated, most of the photoids are quite small for Eile, being usually shorter than an average human male. This means that this organism is also quite small. Perhaps 40cm, which is still considerable size for an anapnoil on Eile.

One of the strangest things of this planet, that this organism shows, is that it shows how places can be on Eile. Tuaisceart, Notiodytikia, and Megalonotosia are all perfect examples of this anomalous planet. In Tuaisceart's case, On the west and east of the continent, it is occupied by the desert of plategrass, with the "cactuses" which are piercertrees growing occasionally, these plategrasses grows in colonies until it is physically impossible to penetrate the sand and expand into the oceans, it is cold, and windy, especially at the northern tip where temperatures can be described as "sub-arctic". 

On the same continent, you have a humid denseforests, in which the temperature seems temperate as you descend from the top, but as you descend to the forest floor, it is hot and humid compared to the rest of the continent, not enough to be hellish, but enough for organisms to become naked here. More extreme examples exist on other continents.  That is how you get furry creatures, and naked creatures, on the same continent . 

Next, Caedisartufex supervivex EILE , known commonly as a Common Fadcossed Watcher is a stealthy, slender-legged dyopod. Despite the morphological and bio-mechanical limitations that the clade of Dyopodia have, they are starkly different from the typical , bulky dyopods you would see on the plains in the same continent of tuaisceart.  The species mentioned, has a sharper teeth, it's mouth-jaw-proboscis is not retractable anymore, but highly segmented and flexible, lined with millions of small, sharp keratin-analogue spikes, this is a striking convergent evolution, with some "blade-pretender" taxa(A clade of completely unrelated organisms from the articulisid phylum) also having spikes to crush prey far more easily and using the proboscis as sort of a biological "mace". It is part of a highly genetically isolated , but successful clade, known as Rigidusids,  a group of long-legged dyopods, it is called "Rigidusids" due to a common feature the class has in regards to the structure of the dyopodian proboscis, the non-"retractability". A unique thing only applicable to this species is it has evolved a sharp "beak"-ish spear mouth, controlled and opened by hinges, the spearbeakish mouth having for segmented also lined with some teeth. The Fadcossed Watcher sets aside and stalks it's prey from a distance, built more for quick, ambush attacks, rather than prolonged confrontations, it has to wait for long hours at a time before the prey is relaxed, completely unsuspecting of anything and unprepared. 

Here is the specimen depicted, it is quite tall, being 1.1 meters. It is also proportionally wide, so it would make sense that it has enough room to even eat the species that they predate on.

April update: Next post is moving on to a new biome. 

Denseforest, Temperate.

 If you haven't noticed, a recurring theme in all my previous entries is that all the species are from the continent of Tuaisceart. And as we go through each post and more is added. We briefly go through biomes of tuaisceart, as a result. And strike deeper into it's "heart". The massive Loch sea.

What guards the massive Loch sea is the Temperate denseforest of Tuaisceart . Otherwise known as An Coillthiubh , supported by the lake, whose is protected by precipitation on the lake itself, and the massive, ash consuming Ashcatchers, or Coilleanas, a group of species specialised by consuming the massive clouds suspended by Eile's lower gravity and wind patterns, which may not feel like much, being 30% less. But it makes a massive difference for small particles like volcanic ash, and the ability to develop structures to catch volcanic ash. 

Ash contains molecules , nutrients necessary to maintain massive size for the Coilleneas.  The coillean has selectively developed extended ends off it's upper leaves to reach up into the sky. Large Ash clouds are maintained via wind patterns, and it's particles consumed and stripped bare by these trees. The ends are electrically charged, nutrient molecules launch into the trees system from the top into the leaves, into the branches, into the trunk.  Sometimes, volcanoes may only erupt only a few hundred or thousand years, so the coillean are switch up and sustain themselves on other nutrient and water sources.

The red mounds are volcanoes , the lightest greens would be plategrass, darker greens would be TDTLFS and the darkest, denseforest. And Also the mysterious mountain range in tuaisceart, being labelled "An Nathair". 

You may notice the distance of some volcanoes to actual denseforests. There are a few explanations, ashes, due to the lower gravity of Eile, are easily suspended in it's atmosphere. Allowing it travel for hundreds of thousands of kilometers, considering the fact that all things considered, Tuaisceart is a massive continent. Another reason is plategrass, the denseforest is in a constant "war" with the plategrass, which is indeed, an invasive species. The reason of existence for TDTLFs on large continents is that they are outgrowth of denseforests, some photoid species can be found both on TDTLFS and in the cluttered, tight, denseforests. Even shrubland species, which evolved from denseforest undergrowth. It is an evolutionary arms race, with both sides launching parasitic species , adapted to the environments on either sides ,that is the reason why some TDTLF areas are trapped being TDTLFs whilst sorrounded by volcanoes. Or plategrass securing a victory by sorrounding it with plategrass species adapted to volcanoe habitats. Thus why Denseforests looked squeezed in along the end of the Tuaiscartean river deltas and yet spread out for hundreds of kilometers at the north and center loch region. 

 The layers of a denseforest are as follows, and as applies to most denseforests around the eilen globe; 

 The Emergent layer - similar to Earth's rainforest, denseforest's have their emergent layers, with some photoid "trees" naturally taller than other plants. Anapnoils here must be adapted to a changing environment, one that is can be occassionally covered in volcanic ash. Most motile organisms are small gliders or fliers.

 Canopy layer - The inside of the "roof" of the denseforest, can get quite humid at times. The canopy layer is formed as a result of a number of same species attained a certain same size, creating a network of branches and leaves and small canopy parasitic photoids. Small climber anapnoils as well as gliders also reside here. There is a large number of "fruit" as well produced by the Coilleanas in this network, which are eaten by some frugivorous anapnoils. Can be up to 8 meters

 Understory layer - the rest of the rainforest structure except the forest floor. Humid and dark environment. Home to many unique understory photoids using different pigments and large leaves to optimally catch sunlight. Surprisingly large yet prehensile anapnoils live in the understory. 

 Forest Floor - The decomposition layers, a lot of decomposers of various kinds from euheteroids to anapnoils to even photoids thrive here. Sometimes rivers flow through the forest floor, creating specialized species adapted for these variants of the forest floor ecosystem. 

 Thanks for reading.

Silvaconrepo culcitae and the phylum of Quadrachordates

 Silvaconrepo culcitae is a quadrachordate which slithers around the Tuaisceartan TDTLF biomes. It is part of a forest-dwelling quadrachordates who have adapted their locomotion to slither across the forest floor. This particular species eat up dead leaf litter exclusively. It is around 40 mm long . They are hunted by bigger organisms, such as articulusids and mollisids which traverse the forest floor for food. 

A loose illustration of a specimen traversing

A quadrachordate is a phylum of apothemaites who have evolved from slow-moving organisms which inhabited tidal areas of the Eilen coasts. They can be compared to echinodermata of Earth, but they have many differences. 

Quadrachordates are both sea-dwelling and land-dwelling apothemaites. Originally possessing radial symmetry, they were sessile organisms who had a mutation which caused them to store calcium deposit in four so-called "spinochords" . The spinochords would eventually get segmented and flexible as the organisms of the phylum got more motile. Developing complex structures in order to aid in faster locomotion(as to invade larger sea predators) and developing their visual senses, (developing compound eyes, for examples ) . They would use the unpredictable tidal zone areas for the safety. This would cause many quadrachordates to get dried on the beaches of Eile or stuck in smaller pools. Eventually, this hard-wires the quadrachordates to last longer on land. 

They would develop spiracles and small pseudo-lungs lined under the layer of their skin in the center disk part of the body  to process oxygen from the fresh Eilen air. They would invade the lands and establish their own niches like everyone else on Eile. 

Silvaconrepo culcitae and members of the clade it is part of have structures under the lower quarter of their "legs", these are loose, small fibrous which allow to sense vibrations  around it and can stiffen to aid in traversing rougher terrain in the forest floor. 

Thanks for reading.

Spotted Giblitka

 The organism we are looking at today is the Spotted giblitka, scientific name Magnagibber crudaangulus EILE . It is part of the motiloid phylum, Eumollisids, a topic which has only been briefly discussed beforehand. 

Eumollisids are truely a special type of phylum in Eile. Being older than the articulisid phylum and all apothemaite phylums. And being in early eons of multi -cellular life. 

Eumollisids are still quite significant today. From "worms" to "snails" to "pseudo-sea snakes", they are an incredibly diverse and adaptive phylum which may show mechanisms behind further advanced motiloid evolution to apothemaites and even more.

The species in general is part of a larger group called Gibberids, some may compare them to the gastropods of Earth , Gibberids use internal structures in order to produce locomotion and be able to move. Those internal structures are modified miniscule muscles enabling Gibbberids to move across the bumpy surface of the forest floor.

This organism (the Spotted Giblitka) traverses across the forest floor looking for leaf litter, sometimes, it will consume "eggs" that are attached onto the leaf litter that are left attached on the leaf. Sometimes these eggs can be a good nutritious meal, or cause a parasite to grow in their bodies(causing them to die as the organism develops more and more inside of them). The spotted giblitka is gonochoric, with males being brighter green and smaller, while females being duller green and bigger.Also having specialised reproductive organs for each sex. The female lays hundreds of small jelly-like eggs, only 1 in 100 eggs pass through the hatching stage. However, if they do hatch, most of them survive to adulthood and beyond, living for around a good 10 years. Thanks for reading as always and see you in the next post.