Bonebuoy

Much like their ancestor, bonebuoys form fields within short spans of time. Unlike their ancestor, bonebuoys form planktonic (free-floating) aggregations on the surface of the water. Most such aggregations form around floating debris, such as the stems of boomsticks or eeyore stalks washed out to sea. Aggregations that don't form around debris are smaller and more likely to break apart. The silvery byssus threads of the initial colonizers attach to the debris, with later bonebuoys attaching themselves to the stems of other bonebuoys. The calcium segments are fairly rigid, but the bonebuoy has some flexibility between segments. This (along with some phototropic hormones) allows it to bend in the direction of sunlight. This is useful for bonebuoys that grow on the sides of the debris core, as it exposes more surface area to sunlight. Aggregations' maximum size is 32 cm. Beyond that, new additions are highly likely to break off. Bonebuoy aggregations provide habitat to hitchhiker scuttlers, which feed on any floating species of marbleflora caught in the tangle of bonebuoys. Pygmy hullbacks lay their eggs on larger aggregations, which provide the eventual tadpoles a degree of protection from predators. Drakescooters occasionally eat the photosynthetic parts when bonebuoys wash up on Coolsteph Temperate Beach. Provided they aren't all eaten and are washed back to sea within four hours, bonebuoys have a high chance of surviving this. Bonebuoys float because of small pockets of air within their calcium segments, hence the name "Bonephyta osteoporosis". As a consequence of this (along with reduced number of segments) it reaches maximum height faster than its ancestor. However, this doesn't really matter, reproduction-wise, as bonebuoys are able to produce spores after the establishment of their first segment. While bonebuoys' spore output at any one time is only about two-thirds of their ancestor, they still have a high reproductive rate. After establishment of their first segment, they are able to produce spores for their entire lives.