Hijacker Infectoids
| Hijacker Infectoids | ||
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| (Inundatilatro spp.) | ||
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| Information | ||
| Creator | Colddigger Other | |
| Week/Generation | 27/167 | |
| Habitat | Jujubee, Mnid, LadyM, Barlowe-Lamarck Shelf, Drake Shelf, Fermi Shelf, Kosemen-Wallace Shelf, Ramul-Steiner Shelf, Vonnegut Shelf | |
| Size | 0.05 cm - 2 cm long (mature), 1 nanometer long (dormant spore) | |
| Primary Mobility | Unknown | |
| Support | Cell Membrane | |
| Diet | Sanguinivore | |
| Respiration | Passive Diffusion | |
| Thermoregulation | Ectotherm | |
| Reproduction | Asexual, Sexual, Virus-like Infection, Spores | |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Domain Superkingdom Kingdom Subkingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species | Eukaryota Viridisagania Mancerxa Siphonozoa Siphonomancerxa Peptopeltia Turbatusnexida Breakoffidae Inundatilatro Inundatilatro spp. | |
| Ancestor: | Descendants: |
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Hijacker Infectoids split and rapidly diversified from their ancestors, the Hangnail Infectoids, after developing a distinct and highly successful form of parasitic reproduction. There are many different kinds of Hijacker Infectoid, but they all live in saltwater. The free living stage in the life cycle no longer occurs, and spores no longer have a deleterious effect on local microbial populations.
Much like their ancestors, life for one of these organisms starts as a free floating dormant spore. These spores are either consumed or filtered from the water by tiny fauna via mouth or gill, and become assimilated into the epithelial tissue. The early spread of the infectoid through its host is identical to their ancestral method, with the local expansion of individual bodies and the conquest of the host through bloodborn spores. From here they diverge, hijacker infectoids have developed a few new behaviors. Though the majority of the infectoid mass remains found in the epithelial tissues of the tiny host a small amount now infects nerves and sensory cells. Those individuals having infected nerves change behavior, rather than forming masses they cease reproduction and form receptors derived from those used in their free living ancestors, in their ancestors these were used to identify lysosome markers, which may be called "lysosine", from consumed spores. Those that have infiltrated cells meant for scent reception gradually destroy the hosts ability to smell, replacing the ion channel receptors with those same receptors. Various parts of the central nervous system and/or ganglia are infected alongside the nerves, undergoing similar augmentations. Among the infected nerve cells this results in receptors specific to compounds produced by their parasite, and those compounds become a kind of neurotransmitter for them.
The infectoids that reside within the nerves of the host seize control of the reward system of their given host. This is done by responding to nerve activation when accompanied with an increase in glucose availability, typically something that occurs while eating. these infectoids increase their lysosine receptors, and link them with the activation of the host nerve itself. This results in whatever form of reward system the host has becoming triggered when their brain (or equivalent) gets filled with lysosine. As more and more nerves are infected, the potential amount of lysosine found within the nervous system increases, however its release requires initial input. If the smell sensing nerves pick up lysosine in the environment they cause a cascade effect through the nervous system resulting in a flood of the chemical that triggers the reward pathway and draws the host toward the environmental source.
Spore production is often heaviest in the digestive lining of a host, although blood, lymph, and other fluids still have spores. In the case of digestive cavity spores tiny organisms provide the infectoids with tiny surface areas to produce tiny amounts of spores. Larger hosts provide larger everything. In this sense it is really to the benefit of the infectoid for their initial host to be eaten, if such an event occurs the initial host is of course destroyed, killed, but with this act the infectoid colony is free to infect the assailant, infesting the digestive lining and taking over the new body. Alongside the spores one other item of intewrest is released by infectoids in the gut of the host, which is lysosine. This gets released alongside the spores. Tiny hosts create tiny amounts, and although this can trigger clustering of multiple infected, and even self circling, the amount produced by larger hosts easily overpowers such small environmental triggers. Through this tiny infected fauna will beeline toward well established hosts larger than themselves, if they are not already eaten by a creature uninfected. Being a host does not give rise to any sort of sympathies between creatures, there is no instinctual recognition. If the larger host is a predator, which they often are, and if it notices the smaller host, which it often does, then the smaller host will become food.
Unlike in the case of an uninfected sea creature devouring their host this new situation releases a cloud of spores and infectoid fragments into a digestive system already lined with another colony. If the resident colony has not yet completely filled the surrounding tissues then a few spores may plant themselves in the walls. More often colonization is well established and all spores end up captured and absorbed by the local infectoids. This happens to actually be the beginning of their method of sexual reproduction, the process being similar to what is found in the [Buhmungus Infectoids] group. These resultant genetically unique spores are released alongside the parthenogenetic spores indiscriminately. In a sense, by having its spores become assimilated into this new infectoid colony to sire unique sexual spores, the original infectoid continues to exist. Even if only as genetic contribution, scrambled with the genes of another, this continuity exceptionally increases the number of spores carrying their genes into the world, which is a pretty good deal for any parasite.
This larger host is of course not the final destination. The process of hijacking the brain and forcing their unwitting home to meet its doom in the mouths of ever larger beasts continues up the food chain. Each time they are consumed their spores enter larger and larger stomachs, with greater chances for openings to reestablish true colonies of their own, while mixing genetics with others in the same beast. The communities of infectoids in host fauna this way become more complex as one travels up the food chain. Many of the larger predators often not only host multiple genetically distinct colonies mixing sexual spores but even multiple species vying for dominance and hybridizing. Another fact of hosts higher in the food chain is that control of the digestive lining becomes more and more important, as each trophic level up has fewer predators and potential for the spores in the blood, lymph, or other cavities outside the digestive system to actually escape the body into new hosts. Rather being able to grab a piece of stomach lining, or intestinal wall, or even better the lining of a colon, is all an infectoid will need at this point to spread spores into the water and renew the cycle as tiny filter feeders suck them up.
The process of creating spores in the digestive system to be released out into the environment can be a materially and energetically expensive act, if the infectoids performing this put too much focus on the act they can even push their host to starvation and everyone involved dies. Some species are geared toward sticking to lower trophic levels, preferring to hold onto smaller hosts for themselves alone, and actually after moving up a few links in the food chain just drain their host in order to flood the local environment so their progeny can snatch up as many hosts as possible from other competitors. Others play the long game, keeping their spore production to minimum in the digestive system, preferentially producing bloodborne spores to infect predators that eat their initial host. These travel up trophic levels until hitting the top, they often play nice with others of their species so as to have regular spore exchange with them, and they may even specialize for colonizing different parts of the digestive system in order to avoid competing with other species.