Overseer for Imperial Scientific Development
- Intent: To create a novel species for my character to discover in dominion
- Image Credit: Adrian Davies Imaging
- Canon: n/a
- Permissions: n/a
- Links: Discovery thread
- Name: Harris Chemo-luminescent Lichen
- Origins: Discovered by Trinity Harris on the planet of Reelin in the Ruuria hex
- Other Locations:
- No other locations known at time of discovery but easily transplantable so very possible
- Classification: Lichen
- Average Growth Cycle:
- Takes a while to establish but once established grows quickly reaching fruiting age (clouds of spores) within a few weeks
- Can stay in dormant phase for extended periods
- Spore releasing phase is continuous in fully grown life but typically peaks after rainfall
- Viability:
- Does not required sunlight
- leeches water and sustenance from other plants
- Thrives in areas polluted with heavy metals
- Struggles to compete in naturally ‘clean' environments
- Goes dormant for a several months to sometimes years if kept cool an dry once harvested. Regenerates quickly once returned to growing conditions.
- Description:
- Appears as a very light yellow/green (blue glowing) mass with short light green fronds that extend out away from the nutrient source.
- They attach themselves to other plants, preferring thin barked trees, but capable of implanting on a variety of surfaces including fallen branches.
- Thrives in a wet environment and grow best if there is relatively high levels of metal pollutants. Although above a threshold concentration the metals will be just as lethal to the Harris Lichen as any other flora.
- Average Height:
- Fronds of lichen around 2-10cm in length when fully grown depending on environment
- Body typically around 0.5-2cm thick
- Average Length:
- Body of lichen can range from a 1cm patch to masses that can cover forest floors
- Color:
- Very light yellow/green naturally, colour varies depending on metals absorbed
- Glows with a blueish light
- Nutritional Value: little to none
- Toxicity:
- Depending on the environment but the tendency to leech and concentrate metal pollutants makes the plant toxic and very unpleasant tasting to most creatures.
- Other Effects:
- If encouraged to absorbs specific metals such as iron, copper, magnesium or calcium, it could potentially be used as a nutritional supplement
- Some wild lichen eating species may do this unknowingly, but its use has not been studied.
- Distinctions:
- When fully nourished, the lichen breaks down the metal pollutants into further nutrients and uses them to grow more lichen. This chemosynthesis reaction produces a small amount of visible and ultraviolet light, causing the lichen to glow.
- The wavelength of this glow is enough to trigger photosynthesis in the host plant, creating a symbiotic relationship where the lichen leeches water and nutrients from the host, while providing the host with usable light.
- The lichen can allow its host to grow in dark and toxic environments.
- Can allow host plant in very hostile environment by detoxifying the plant and providing usable light for photosynthesis
- Can remain dormant for a significant amount of time without water or nutrition provided it is kept in a cool and dry environment
- Extremely vulnerable in dormant state, its dry, dormant husk is very flammable and also very fragile, requiring careful storage if wishing to transport the lichen.
- Specialisation for polluted environments means it has a competitive disadvantage against other species in a clean environment, making large growths of the lichen rare. Its own detoxification can eventually harm its own proliferation if it is implanted in an area without a constant supply of pollutants. As it detoxifies the area, other species can begin to grow and flourish.
The Harris Chemo-lumiescent Lichen was first documented by Trinity Harris whilst investigating flora that had survived a meteor strike that had killed off most other plants in the area.
The lichen was well adapted to the now heavily polluted rivers, the meteor having thrown up masses of buried metals as an aerosol on impact. The light emitting qualities of the lichen also served to restart photosynthesis in the host plants under the cover of thick ash clouds.
Harris took large samples of the lichen for study and to propagate as a potential solution to damaged ecosystems on this and other heavily polluted planets although much more research needs to be done to determine the long term safety of such a process.
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