Synthestring

Replacing its ancestor, synthestring has lost the outer crust of the past (it proved little use against the significantly larger predatory cells in Yokto River and Marsh), and now exists in a colony form. While they still possess a barbed appendage, only on the bottom cell is it used to stick into the ground, other cells use it to stick to each other, creating the “strings” of the species. The barbs on the appendage are hollow, allowing exchange of nutrients between cells, mostly used to provide the lower cells with energy, specifically for the bottom cell which much grow the hook appendage longer and longer as the colony gets longer itself. Usually, as the colony reaches more then a few dozen cells in length, other bottom cells lengthen their hook appendages into the ground as well, a process that continues, allowing the colony to remain firmly stuck to the ground while still increasing size. Reproduction occurs as the cells divide, usually cells on the end, but occasionally cells lower down as well, creating branches (this can be seen in the image above, where two cells connect to a lower one). New colonies arise when the strings created by synthestring are disrupted, either by pieces being torn off by water currents or a predatory cell eats a non-end synthestring, the pieces float off and land, rooting once again and creating a new colony while the original grows back.