Crowned Baebula
| Crowned Baebula | ||
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| (Cirribullastipes monoecos) | ||
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| Information | ||
| Creator | OviraptorFan Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/167 | |
| Habitat | Fermi Bush, Fermi Temperate Woodlands, Fermi Temperate Volcanic | |
| Size | 2 meters tall | |
| Primary Mobility | Sessile | |
| Support | Cell Wall (Cellulose) | |
| Diet | Photosynthesis | |
| Respiration | Passive (Stomata) | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectotherm | |
| Reproduction | Sexual (Two Sexes, Hydrogen Filled Seed Bubbles) | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Kingdom Subkingdom Division Class Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Phoenoplastida Phoenophyta (info) Physallophyta (info) Physallothallopsida Maineibullales Maineibullaceae Cirribullastipes Cirribullastipes monoecos | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
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Having originally been brought to Fermi by Seashrogs, populations of Baebula began to move inland, splitting off into a distinct species as they adapted to the local competition as well as climatic conditions. Known as the Crowned Baebula, this species of bubbleweed share many traits with its direct ancestor such as the "leaf-bulbs". These are formed from the many ancestral leaves clustering together at the tips of branches, with the seed bubbles still at the tip of each midrib. Each of the seed bubbles are still filled with hydrogen, which in turn helps keep the individual branches upright without the need of especially thick stems. Since it takes time for the hydrogen to collect within the seed bubbles, however, the branches are somewhat thicker than their direct ancestor to better support the leaves when they lose some of their seed bubbles. Each of the midribs still has a lamina, the part of a leaf that forms the blade, on the outer edge for photosynthesis. Due to facing somewhat higher levels of predation from turtsnappers like the Rosy Cornizope, the Crowned Baebula has shrunk down to half the size of their ancestor, allowing them to reach full size at a much quicker pace.
The most notable change seen in this species relates towards its reproduction, as the species now is monoecious. On the higher branches are seed bubbles filled with male gametes. These seed bubbles possess small fissure lines that start off pretty small but become more and more prominent as they get filled with hydrogen. This in turn makes the seed bubbles easy to rupture due to strong wind in later stages, thus releasing the male gametes in the air to be carried away. If luck is on their side, these gametes will get caught by the trichomes of female seed bubbles, which are present on the lower branches of Crowned Baebulas. Once caught by the trichomes, the male gametes are absorbed into the female seed bubble, traveling through canals until they encounter the female gamete inside and fuse. Once fertilized, the female seed bubbles will detach from the leaf and drift off. Settling down somewhere else and beginning development. While the thicker branches do provide additional support, the young Crowned Baebulas still start out as a bit floppy due to lacking buoyancy. To partially make up for this, Crowned Baebulas start out as really stout and truncated, having very short branches to minimize their droopy nature as much as possible. As the seed bubbles develop, getting filled by hydrogen at a steady pace, the once droopy branches rise upwards as they gain their buoyancy. While it takes about a year to possess enough hydrogen in the seed bubbles for the branches to remain upright, a dramatic transformation occurs shortly afterwards. Detecting higher amounts of sugars being produced thanks to more efficient photosynthesis, the bubbleweed releases large amounts of auxin and cytokinin throughout the body, causing a rapid growth spurt that lasts for about three to four months until they reach around a meter in height. At this point the Crowned Baebula is capable of reproduction, but since the first set of branches are only of male seed bubbles, it can only fertilize other Crowned Baebulas nearby. This is because it's only once the sapling reaches a meter in height that they begin to grow in their second set of branches, which are the ones that possess the female seed bubbles. At this point, the bubbleweed directs its energy towards growing out these branches, halting any growth on the main stem for another two years or so. Once these branches have grown in and have their female seed bubbles filled with hydrogen, it undergoes a final growth spurt that yet again takes about three to four months.
To deal with cool temperatures during the winter months, the Crowned Baebula will pump water out of their cells and increase the sugar content levels of their tissues. This adaptation, inherited amongst all Baebulas since they already dwelled within the temperate regions of Lamarck, both protects their cells from rupture as well as lowering the freezing point of the water between their individual cells.