Tundra Gelatus

The tundra gelatus has split from its ancestor, the beached gelatus, moving into the fiercer conditions of the Mason tundra, and growing ten times its ancestor's size due to island gigantism. As it moved up the beach and finally into the tundra, it became completely reliant on the symbiotic gildring which grew on its surface. Gradually, the gildrings became unicellular and disconnected, and they came to reside within the organism's interior layer. This upper layer of water eventually became separated from the lower layer of water, with the upper layer of flesh becoming thinner and transparent to provide light for photosynthesis, so as to protect the fragile symbiotes from the organism's digestive acids. Every now and again the flesh will separate and the two chambers will intermingle, feeding the organism. However, some gildrings remained upon its surface and became parasitic, with tendrils reaching through its pores, feeding off of the nutrient and CO-rich liquid provided for its symbiotes, all the while blocking light from these symbiotes. So as it were, the symbiotic provuci split off from its ancestor, catering to the needs of the gelatus, the primary of which is to scrape of this parasite, providing some food for the provuci. In return for this service, the gelatus will provide some amount of water for the provuci.

The tundra gelatus has also adapted its relationship with the provuci to serve reproductive purposes. Alpha and beta individuals will release their respective reproductive cells onto their upper surfaces, the reproductive cells themselves in a state of hibernation. When a cell comes into contact with the saliva of the provuci, the alpha cells seek out the beta cells also gathered by the provuci, fusing themselves with them. When the saliva once again comes into contact with a gamma gelatus, the fused cell is absorbed by the gamma individual and is incorporated into a new bud which has a hard shell, allowing it to journey through the digestive tract of a provuci with minimal damage.

Its root-ring has grown, digging into the soil and expanding and contracting slowly to draw in any moisture present in the soil. During the winter, the stockpile of oil it maintains in its center will last it through the night.