Hey everyone, hope all is well! I have a new open ecology article of the week, and this one is from the journal Ecological Monographs.
You can find the open access link here: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecm.1399
Please feel free to discuss this article in the comments below if you like. Questions, comments, or anything remotely relevant is fair game!
Abstract: Soils are currently leaching out dissolved organic matter (DOM) at an increasing pace due to climate and land use change or recovery from acidification. The implications for stream biogeochemistry and food webs remain largely unknown, notably the metabolic balance (biotic CO2 emissions) and carbon cycling between autotrophs and bacteria. We increased by 12% the flux of DOM in a stream for three weeks to mimic a pulse of natural DOM supply from soils rich in organic matter. We were able to track its fate into the food web through the use of a before and after control impact experimental design and the addition of DOM with a distinctive ฮด13C signature. We used wholeโstream metabolism to quantify carbon fluxes. Both photosynthesis and heterotrophic respiration increased rapidly following C addition, but this was short lived, likely due to nutrient limitations. Carbon exchange between autotrophs and bacteria in the control stream accounted for about 49% of bacterial production and 37% of net primary production, under stable flow conditions. Net primary production relied partly (19% in the control) on natural allochthonous dissolved organic carbon via the CO2 produced by bacterial respiration, intermingling the green and brown webs. The preferential uptake of labile carbon by bacteria and excess bacterial CO2 relative to nutrients (N, P) for autotrophs shifted the reciprocal carbon exchange between bacteria and autotrophs to a predominantly oneโway carbon flow from bacteria to autotrophs, increasing the C:N:P molar ratios of autotrophs, the latter likely to become less palatable to consumers. The bacterial response to sucrose addition shifted the metabolic balance toward heterotrophy increasing biotic CO2 emissions (+125%), shortened the average distance travelled by a molecule of organic matter (โ40%), and thus provided less organic matter of lower quality for downstream ecosystems. Even a small increase in labile dissolved organic matter supply due to climate and land use change could significantly alter inโstream carbon cycling, with large effects on str
... keep reading on reddit โกI saw while reading about the Animalia Kingdom that almost all are heterotrophic, this being one of the defining characteristics of the kingdom. So I did some research and could not find any examples of autotrophic animals. Can anyone clarify this or give a few examples of these organisms?
Alternatively, why isn't the world a LOT more plant like? What caused the first carnivore/omnivore to become the way it was? There is a LOT of diversity in plants as it were, and I could see similar features available to carnivores being done alternatively as an herbivore, or at least allowing most, if not all, organisms access to hybrid photosynthesis/heterotrophic behavior.
Can't quite think of the downsides to it aside from how complicated the process is as well as the energy needed (on a plant's scale [size], anyway) to do so.
What would be the consequences of things like this? I'm thinking of life as it were, but evolving more towards the path of photosynthetic skin/epidermis.
https://preview.redd.it/wdb218b484281.png?width=2219&format=png&auto=webp&s=b767af646b19f7a49e028787561df29460bb8143
Glossary (alphabetical):
- Ammonia - the product of fish waste, decomposition, and just general ammonification. Toxic to both freshwater and marine fish.
- Cycling - everyone defines this differently, but I define it as 'to establish enough nitrifiers in an aquarium to fully handle ammonia produced by a full bioload'.
- Microorganism - small living things. Include bacteria, but also other living beings, such as algae, fungi, and so on. There is some debate amongst scientists about what can exactly be classified as a microorganism. Mostly irrelevant to the aquarium-keeping hobby, so don't worry too much about it.
- Nitrification - The process in which ammonia is oxidized to nitrite then nitrate. Do not worry about what 'oxidized' means, you can use the term 'converted' instead. Not exactly important, but may be of interest: ammonia can actually be directly converted to nitrate, by microorganisms such as Nitrospira inopinata.
- Nitrifier - A microorganism that either converts ammonia to nitrite, or nitrite to nitrate (or ammonia to nitrate directly, see nitrification). Common genera ('groups') of nitrifiers are Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira, and Nitrospira. In marine environments, certain nitrifying Thermoproteota species are also common, specifically from the genera Nitrosopumilus and Nitrososphaera.
- Nitrate - The final product of nitrification. Nitrate can be consumed by certain organisms, including microorganisms in anaerobic processes, or by plants and algae. Nitrate toxicity varies greatly depending on live stock species, but generally not as much as ammonia or nitrite.
- Nitrite - The product of ammonia oxidation, which is then oxidized to nitrate. Nitrite is very toxic to freshwater fish, but needs to be at very high concentrations to be toxic to marine fish. Toxicity varies between marine fish species, but probably around 100+ppm is enough to be lethal for some species, and higher for others. I would suggest nonetheless keeping nitrite below 25ppm for marine systems, as even if not lethal, higher concentrations of nitrite can still cause disease.
Today, I want to answer a very important consideration that has caused a lot of debate in the hobby for a very long time - what do nitrifiers feed on?
[Nitrifiers have gen
... keep reading on reddit โกA while back I posted about this concept. In the biosphere I am working on I have an organism filling a similar niche as coral. It forms symbiotic relationships with other small autotrophs and heterotrophs as well as structurally forming the basis for a coral reef-like habitat. One of the members of this group Sexanturrim (Hexagonal prism sphere shaped decipulahortes where the soft bodied feeding tendrils face inward, offspring grow from existing Sexanturrim outward or upwards to follow water level changes and colony size) eventually lead to the evolution of Arduseminarium (Towering terrestrial sexanturrim adapted for land and partially fulfilling the niche of coastal trees and structurally supporting many homes and habitats for organisms as well as sheltering them and coastlines from weather phenomena)
These towering coral-esque spires full of various symbiotically relating organisms fill the niche of at least just the coastal trees. I have not decided if they would have been able to absorb the niche of tall trees altogether or been restricted to the coasts while faster growing and more traditional plants went to land and evolve into trees earlier or faster than Arduseminarium could.
Visually they are tall with a wide base and get smaller towards the top and made of connected hexagonal structures that grow and facilitate the growth of small autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms. organisms analogous to Brush, grasses, mosses, flowering plants, etc make their home in and on this large and internally cavernous structure filling the structure out and covering it with foliage. Because of this, the hollow interior would look like a dark cage where phototrophs would be unable to survive without much visible light, this area acts as a home for various nesting creatures.
Arduseminarium, whether strictly coastal or not, buffer shorelines from storms and erosion by acting as natural wave breakers and shelter more inland areas from storms and surges.
what do you think?
https://preview.redd.it/ca6tro3f6n081.png?width=756&format=png&auto=webp&s=362864c2c8a0303dad3f5e4b2c4c497b0acb511b
link to my original post about this idea I had: https://www.reddit.com/r/SpeculativeEvolution/comments/mjlsn8/alien_phytocoral/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
A sequel to Vitrium Biology, Blue Crystal Biology and Cannonball Biology.
Rust is a near-copy of Mars, only slightly larger (with a surface gravity of approximately 0.5g), more water (mostly in the form of ice), and a thicker CO2-dominated atmosphere, resulting in less extreme temperature variations between the tropics and poles.
Earlier in its history, Rust was much more Earthlike, and it was in this environment that life of Rust originated. As such, Rust biochemistry is in many ways not unusual, following the typical template of carbon-based, water-solvent life. Examples of this primitive type of life can still be found in high-salinity subterranean reservoirs, but as the world desiccated, cooled, and oxidized, surface life developed a number of biochemical innovations to survive in the new environment, which is rapidly fatal to most Earthling organisms.
The most significant of these adaptations are the biogenic production of hydrogen peroxide and perchlorate ions, each of which serves multiple biochemical purposes. Both of these chemicals are strongly hygroscopic, and sodium perchlorate is particularly concentrated in the surface tissues of multicellular autotrophic organisms (but not heterotrophs, for reasons which will be explained below), permitting efficient scavenging of scarce water vapor from the atmosphere to replenish intracellular fluids. Both chemicals also serve as antifreezes and glassification agents, allowing metabolic processes to continue in liquid down to temperatures between -55 and -70 Celsius, and for organisms to survive freezing solid at lower temperatures. This glassification ability is critical for nearly the entire biosphere on a annual basis, when CO2 snow in the polar highlands during northern-hemisphere winter reduces atmospheric pressures and temperatures across the globe, shutting down all surface biological activity for several months until northern summer restores the atmosphere. And in fact, eutectic intracellular solutions are typically over 60% hydrogen peroxide, suggesting that it is in fact hydrogen peroxide, rather than water, that should be identified as the primary biosolvent of Rust life forms. These high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide not only permit survival at low temper
... keep reading on reddit โกWinds whipped against Baraxhimaโs leaves as he strode as fast as his roots could carry him.
โFaster! Come on faster! PLEASE!โ
But it was no use. Every cell in his body screamed out for rest, shooting pain through every branching limb and tendril.
His pseudoheart beat harder as his eyes glanced at his pursuer.
It didnโt seem tired, or even concerned, as it approached. Its body was composed of a thin furred cuticle layered over knotted muscle. Wide shaped eyes that scoured the surrounding terrain for its horrendous food source. Every step that, thatโฆanimal made seemed so effortless to the creature.
Baraxhima commanded his roots to move. But they could not obey no longer. His eyes locked on to the quadruped as its maw filled with blunt crushing implements opened up and enveloped his form.
He could only watch and scream.
Then he felt his legs respond. He careened forward onto the cold metal floor of his bedroom as his roots pulled him away from the life eater. Bedding soil was thrown across the room in his scramble to get away from the phantom threat.
Twelve simple eyes focused on the safety of the room around him. The life eater wasnโt real. Another nightmare.
Baraxhimaโs tendrils snaked out to grapple with the furniture around him and ponderously pull him back onto his roots. A quick glance at his chronometer told him it was still very early in the morning, how unfortunate. He didnโt try going to sleep again, not with his mind racing as fast as it was right now. He would rather not start first contact with a new species whilst sleep deprived, but he apparently had no say in the matter.
A melodic sigh escaped his vocal valves. Why did he have to ask Rolโhu about her homeworld?
Baraxhima was a Caruequ. Much like twelve of the nineteen federation members, his kind fed on light. Their worlds were peaceful monochrome gardens of life, and over billions of years they evolved sentience.
The other seven member species were only a little different. Three of them fed on the reactive chemicals in the atmosphere of their planets, while three others could somehow feed on rocks.
Rolโhu was something else. She was from species nineteen, the Oliarn. They were not plantoids, fungoids or lithoids. They were animals.
Their world was home to heterotrophs. Life eaters.
Thankfully, her kind diverged from their life eater ancestors by forming a symbiotic relationship with algae. The Oliarn were light feeders, autotrophs, like him. But the stories she to
... keep reading on reddit โกDo your worst!
For context I'm a Refuse Driver (Garbage man) & today I was on food waste. After I'd tipped I was checking the wagon for any defects when I spotted a lone pea balanced on the lifts.
I said "hey look, an escaPEA"
No one near me but it didn't half make me laugh for a good hour or so!
Edit: I can't believe how much this has blown up. Thank you everyone I've had a blast reading through the replies ๐
Previous Episodes:
Nicar is a carbon world, like Coal, formed from a protoplanetary disk with more carbon than oxygen; so, like Coal and Cannonball, water is geologically unstable and the chemical environment is strongly reducing. The atmosphere is approximately 2 bars of nitrogen, with traces of ethane and more complex hydrocarbons as well as smaller amounts of methane and ammonia.
Unlike Coal, Nicar is not a super-Earth. It could be considered a carbonaceous analog of Mars--small enough that it loses hydrogen to space easily, and ammonia is easily photolyzed. Life originated on Nicar in ammonia seas under a methane/ammonia atmosphere and developed an initially hydrogen-breathing ecology, like on Coal--but, the accelerated release of hydrogen by photosynthetic life also accelerated the loss of hydrogen and the steady destruction of Nicar's primordial atmosphere and seas.
If it were an oxygen world, like Mars, Nicar would have inevitably become sterile like Mars as its oceans evaporated. However, while the ammonia ocean was shrinking, dissociation of methane simultaneously produced a growing layer of hydrocarbons--principally ethane, propane, butane, and pentane--with propane and butane condensing under a growing atmosphere of nitrogen to form a hydrocarbon cap over the remaining liquid ammonia, protecting it from further evaporation. Nicar thus has two oceanic layers of entirely dissimilar materials, with a colloidal mixing zone in between.
Life in the lower ocean continues to use essentially the same biochemical pathways as on Coal, although ammonia-consuming respiration is nearly universal due to extremely low hydrogen concentrations, which limits organisms' size dependent on pressure at depth. Near the surface, photosynthesizers still rely on
... keep reading on reddit โกTheyโre on standbi
Pilot on me!!
Dad jokes are supposed to be jokes you can tell a kid and they will understand it and find it funny.
This sub is mostly just NSFW puns now.
If it needs a NSFW tag it's not a dad joke. There should just be a NSFW puns subreddit for that.
Edit* I'm not replying any longer and turning off notifications but to all those that say "no one cares", there sure are a lot of you arguing about it. Maybe I'm wrong but you people don't need to be rude about it. If you really don't care, don't comment.
Are plant-like creatures necessary for animal-like creatures to survive? Could life exist on other worlds with only one of the two present?
What did 0 say to 8 ?
" Nice Belt "
So What did 3 say to 8 ?
" Hey, you two stop making out "
I won't be doing that today!
I've noticed a distinct lack of science-related sets, so I've decided to make some. Here's a biology set. Someone who has taken a 101 level bio course should know most of these words.
abiogenesis,action potential,active site,active transport,adenosine,adrenaline,aerobe,agar,agonist,allele,allergen,alpha helix,amino acid,anabolism,anaerobe,animal,antagonist,antibody,antigen,aorta,apex predator,apoptosis,aqueous humor,archaea,artery,atrium,autotroph,axon,bacillus,bacteria,bacteriophage,beta sheet,bile,bilirubin,binary fission,bioaccumulation,biofilm,biology,biomagnification,biome,Calvin cycle,capillary,carbohydrate,cardiovascular system,catalase,cell,cellular respiration,cellulose,cell wall,central dogma,central nervous system,centriole,cerebrum,chitin,chlorophyll,chloroplast,chromosome,cilia,circadian rhythm,coccus,codon,colony forming unit,community,competition,competitive exclusion principle,cortisol,cotyledon,crepuscular,CRISPR,crossing over,crystal violet,cuticle,cyanobacteria,cytoplasm,definitive host,denaturation,deoxyribonucleic acid,dermis,differentiation,diffusion,digestion,digestive system,diploid,disk diffusion test,diurnal,dopamine,ecosystem,embryo,endangered,endemic,endocrine system,endoplasmic reticulum,endospore,endosymbiotic theory,endotherm,ectotherm,enzyme,epidemic,epidermis,erythrocyte,eukaryote,eusociality,eutrophication,evolution,excretion,exoskeleton,extinct,extremophile,fermentation,flagellum,food chain,food web,fossil,fruiting body,fungus,gamete,gametophyte,gel electrophoresis,gene,genetic drift,genotype,germinate,glycolysis,golgi apparatus,gonad,gradualism,Gram stain,habitat,haploid,hemoglobin,heterotroph,hibernation,histamine,histone,homeostasis,hormone,host,Hox gene,hypertonic,hypotonic,immune system,immunoglobulin,incubate,innoculation,insulin,intercalation,invasive species,isotonic,keratin,keystone species,kinesin,Krebs cycle,last common ancenstor,leucocyte,lichen,ligament,lignin,lipid,lysosome,macromolecule,macrophage,meiosis,membrane,migration,mitochondria,mitosis,molt,monocot,mRNA,mutation,mutualism,mycelium,natural selection,neuron,neurotransmitter,niche,nocturnal,nucleolus,nucleus,optic nerve,organ,organelle,osmosis,ovum,pandemic,parasite,parasympathetic nervous system,pathogen,peptidoglycan,peripheral nervous system,petri dish,phagocytosis,phenotype,phloem,phospholipid,photosynthesis,photosystem,phototropism,pioneer species,pistil,plankton,plant,plasma,plasmid,platelet,pollen,polymerase chain reaction,polypeptide,polyploi
... keep reading on reddit โกMy First fan race. I hope people enjoy it! Minor NSFW for the reproduction details.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Solar Butterflies
The Solar Butterflies are an unusual race, which is not - technically- posthuman. They are, however, descendents of posthuman technology, specificaly the Tool Breeders and the Asteromorphs.
Biology
Solar butterflies are an entirely spaceborn creature, which means thier biology is actually quite complex. The Butterflies main body is about twenty meter along its longest axis (in the picture the top of the bulb to the tip of its tail, below the picture). the Bulb is ten meters in diameter, and contains five eyes, which can each see in a different set of wavelength of light, from infra red to x-ray (with one that operates in our visible spectrum). They can also hear radio waves thanks to the tail organ and - thanks to the Asteromorphs - sense neutrino flows and gravity changes. The tail organ can also transmit radiowaves between the 1 millimeter and 10 meter bands.
The main body also has a prehensile proboscis that can chip peices of ice and engulf them, or rock and coil around to use as tools. the main body also has a group of long limbs that operate via a kind of hydraulics rather than muscle, and a jet that can be used for sharp bursts of acceleration, and to take off from any object that the creature is landed on.
The creatures main body organs, including digestion, fluid circulation and brain (which has gained sentience thanks to the asteromorphs), are packed inside of the bulb. The bulb itself is mostly water, which protects the delicate organs from radiation
The most striking feature of the Butterfly is its wings, which are approximately 700 meters long in the longest axis, 620 meters along the shorter axis and a millimeter thick. they can be folded down to fit snuggly against the side of the individual. The wings absorb and reflect radiation from stars, some of which is used as a solar sail to move the creature around, and some of which is used to manfacture food, similar to a plant, making the creatures Autotrophs. The other elements needed come from ice chipped off of comets.
The creatures are Hermaphrodites, but require sex to reproduce, which is also conducted through the proboscis. Natal development occurs in a sac that eventually is attached to a dormant comet where i
... keep reading on reddit โก
A sequel to Opal Biology, Rust Biology, Vitrium Biology, Blue Crystal Biology and Cannonball Biology.
Snowball is a cold super-Earth, but still below the limits where it could hold free hydrogen in its atmosphere. The average global temperature is approximately -60 C, and the world has extensive basins of dirty water ice.
The surface pressure is approximately 4 bars, composed primarily of nitrogen, with about 1/6th of an atmosphere of oxygen and traces of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ammonia. There is no precipitation, except for occasional snowfalls following volcanic activity, but high-altitude water and CO2 clouds occasionally form, and winds can produce short-term dust and electrical storms.
The native life forms of Snowball employ a 35% ammonia-water eutectic solution as their biosolvent. Snowball's biochemistry is otherwise largely unremarkable for a system based on water-ammonia solution (refer to Still and Coal biological overviews for details), but this makes Snowball the only known example of an oxygen-breathing ammonious biosphere.
Many worlds, especially oxygen-bearing worlds, at some point pass through a biogeochemical crisis which radically restructures their native life. The most well-known of these is, of course, Earth's own Oxygen Crisis, brought about by cyanobacteria, which constituted a mass extinction event for the anaerobic biosphere but paved the way for high-energy oxygen metabolism. Snowball managed to come to its unique present state through a sequence of two such biogeochemical crises.
Early in its history, Snowball was a fairly normal aqueous ammonia world, with extensive oceans and a reducing atmosphere, with large quantities of ammonia and methane keeping the temperatures higher (although still cold by terrestrial standards), and primitive life was largely hydrogen-breathing. As hydrogen was lost to space in the world's first billion years, however, and supplies of atmospheric methane were depleted, autotrophs were forced to transition from hydrogen photosynthesis to hydrogen-consuming photosynthesis. In its first stages, this relied on splittin
... keep reading on reddit โกYou take away their little brooms
This morning, my 4 year old daughter.
Daughter: I'm hungry
Me: nerves building, smile widening
Me: Hi hungry, I'm dad.
She had no idea what was going on but I finally did it.
Thank you all for listening.
There hasn't been a post all year!
Itโs pronounced โNoel.โ
After all his first name is No-vac
Not sure how viable it would be, but eventually when environmental simulation (biomes) and topography is implemented, if beyond temperature/humidity, each unit/cube/grid space of the world also contains the properties of what materials they contain it would enable for a more consistent simulation.
For example, if a space contains a high percentage of water it would be rendered as such, similarly for atmosphere and soil, enabling for accurate visualization of the environment based on these properties. If these materials could also move between spaces via an approximation of gravity, pressure, and bouncy based on the properties of the materials it could even enable for a relatively realistic simulation of natural systems. Increasing and decreasing the ambient light/energy levels in global waves could also be used to simulate a sort of day and night cycle.
Such rules could then be applied to the bibites, requiring them to exchange materials within their environment (respiration, absorption, etc.), sink/fall in fluids, meat/organic material to shift the composure of materials in a space when they decompose, etc. This could also enable for bibites to evolve autotrophic properties to take nutrients from their environment to naturally evolve into plant or fungus-like organisms rather than having a hard distinction at the start of the simulation. This could also enable for more interesting movement possibilities for bibites, such as requiring more energy to dig/swim/fly depending on their weight/buoyancy, physical capabilities, if they can breath in the space, etc.
The "materials" could be kept vague (like nutrients, heat, light, water, soil, rock, air, etc.) or go full on oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, etc. (though I'm not saying to simulate realistic particle physics, just show the general percentage of such materials within a given space and their movement between.)
As stated at the start, I'm not sure how viable this would be within the planned development of the Bibites, so just take this as food for thought rather than a full on feature request.
What, then, is Chinese rap?
Edit:
Notable mentions from the comments:
-
Spanish/Swedish/Swiss/Serbian hits
-
French/Finnish art
-
Country/Canadian rap
-
Chinese/Country/Canadian rock
-
Turkish/Tunisian/Taiwanese rap
There hasn't been a single post this year!
(Happy 2022 from New Zealand)
