Poliki

From Sagan 4 Alpha Wiki
Revision as of 03:09, 4 December 2007 by imported>Neoskel
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Poliki
(Textudopoaceae liana)
Main image of Poliki
Species is extant.
Information
CreatorNeoskel Other
Week/Generation14/94
HabitatHuggs Rainforest
SizeHuge (up to 500m) Long, (20 cm) Wide
Primary MobilityUnknown
SupportUnknown
DietPhotosynthesis
RespirationUnknown
ThermoregulationUnknown
ReproductionSexual (pollen and exploding fruits), Asexual (budding)
Taxonomy
Domain
Genus
Species
Eukaryota
Textudopoaceae
Textudopoaceae liana
Ancestor:Descendants:

The great numbers of large plants and trees in Huggs Rainforest blot out much of the light from the forest floor. In answer to this, a number of nidbin plants have taken to climbing up these tall competitors in order to reach the light. These became the poliki, but its ancestor the nidbin still survives as it is a very hardy plant. Poliki are a [liana|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liana], meaning that they are woody and grow from the ground up trees and then spread from tree to tree at the canopy. Poliki grow in great tangles at the canopy and allow arboreal species, such as the sloth ketter, easier travel in the canopy.

The poliki has abandoned its insectivore diet as it has better access to sunlight and thus no longer needs it. This means that their reproduction has also changed. Instead of forming fruits from flowers which trap small creatures, the flowers produce a sweet nectar for larger animals to drink. In the process of drinking the nectar, these animals will collect pollen on their heads which will be passed to another poliki flower when they drink from it. Some tiny creatures might still drown in the nectar, but are not digested by the plant. Flowers that are pollinated in this way become a bitter fruit which will explode, showering the forest below with the seeds.