Chthorns
| Chthorns | ||
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| (Khthocornus spp.) | ||
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| Information | ||
| Creator | Mnidjm Other | |
| Week/Generation | 23/145 | |
| Habitat | Sagan 4 Global | |
| Size | 7-15 cm long | |
| Primary Mobility | Unknown | |
| Support | Exoskeleton (shell), Endoskeleton (hydrostatic) | |
| Diet | Detritivore, Planktivore | |
| Respiration | Passive (Back Lips) | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectothermic | |
| Reproduction | Sexual, Lay Strings with Eggs in Water | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Kingdom Subkingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Binucleozoa Symbiovermes (info) Conchovermizoa (info) Euconchovermes Quasipetriformes Calcicornidae Khthocornus Khthocornus spp. | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
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The chthorns are a genus of organisms that specialized as basal detritivores within the crags, pools, and subterranean environments of Darwin and Drake. Dietary preferences within this genus are range from the microscopic organisms found in the subterranean waters to detritus and, for some species, decaying matter such as dung, their role as a janitorial species underlines their significant ecological role. They play a crucial part in maintaining the balance and health of the subterranean habitats, recycling nutrients back into the food chain. A trait common to all chthorns are their mineral accumulation. They filter nutrients and microbes in the water, and will absorb dissolved minerals passively as a consequence, which slowly accumulates in their horns overtime. The core of the horns will always remain soft, while the external layer, will slowly collect the minerals into a structural layer. This process encourages the growth of new epithelial cells over the mineralized ones, forming groves and wrinkles on the horns, forming channels for nutrient transportation and expands the area for nutrient absorption from the water. While all ylbershpelle and flanged bubblehorns already build these structures, the ecological pressures of Darwin caused both species to co-evolve down a convergent path, slowly refining these structures until both species have been replaced with new descendants that now build elaborate structures known as keras reefs, reshaping the waterways of Darwin.
Keras reefs
In the habitats which they are found in it's typical to find delicate, coral-like structures attached to rocks or at the bottoms of water sources, formed from the mineral deposits accrued on the chthorns over time. When an individual dies, these mineral formations persist, creating reef-like structures call "keras reefs". Keras reefs, as generations go on, become intricate structures which offer refuge and habitat to smaller organisms. One such organism that has seen a boon from the keras reefs are the phantom crystals. They have spread along with the chthorns, attaching their spores onto the horns and awakening from dormancy as they come into contact with pools of water. As the reefs age, they are capable of growing out of the original water sources, but will develop their own pools and channels, allowing for more stable. The phantom crystals help this process by providing substrate for the reefs to build on and provide shelter for young chthorns as they grown. In exchange, the reefs provide nutrients and transport of their spores.
These reefs themselves are a source of nutrition for microbes as well, and those found in subterranean ecosystems are constantly plagued by organisms like calciutine, which breakdown the inorganic components of the reefs to extract calcium. These are kept in check by organisms like the phantom crystals and blind limeworms, which clear off the microbes and keep them in balance. These organisms in turn are prey for organisms like ghastchomps.
The chthorns themselves are also a good source of nutrition, providing food for plenty of organisms like the finear ghastchomps, dangling limapin, ambush setapin, and blind cavehoppers, allowing them to spread throughout the subterranean ecosystems of Darwin.
Distribution
While the main diversity of species are found in the water tables of Darwin, various species can be found throughout the waterways of Darwin. There are typically one or two dedicated species to each water way within Darwin, and the temperate rainforests that span Darwin and Drake have their own diversity of species that build small colonies within pools of water. The lower mineral content when compared to the subterranean ecosystems near the reefs cannot get as intricate, however they can act as an ecosystem shaper in the rainforest, with continuous use of the pools can over generations fortify these puddles into more permeant ponds that act as a haven for other aquatic species. No chthorns have colonized the subterraneans of Drake as of yet, as there is only one species notable for living exclusively in Drake, Khthocornus slarti. As their name suggests K. slarti is the northern most species which has begun colonizing the riparian regions of Slarti.