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Description

Depicted here is a large macro-colony of filamentous erinoids. These creatures are some of the most important and prolific lifeforms. Erinoids have a wide range of adaptable metabolisms that help drive biodiversity. Some erinoids are able to fix nitrogen as well and produce vital organic compounds for life. Erinoids are thought to be what made oxygen metabolism possible on Agrona as they produced oxygen as a waste product of splitting water with light. They use oxygen to break down and oxidize organic but seem not to consume the oxygen themselves. They gain energy from this reaction by using the hydrogen produced to create a proton pump across the membrane. Nearly 50% of the oxygen made in this reaction is lost in oxidation so only small amounts are able to form breathable dioxygen. This is the reason for the fluctuating oxygen levels on the planet. These erinoids are an example of convergent evolution with fungi on earth as they both form similar structures and methods as decomposers. While not all are decomposers, decomposing erinoids form some of the larger structures of the phylum, found growing several meters tall. It’s a common sight for erinoids to sprout from dead creatures only hours after due to wind-carried spores. With such diversity, erinoids are a critical part of life on Agrona.

Description

Depicted here is a large macro-colony of filamentous erinoids. These creatures are some of the most important and prolific lifeforms. Erinoids have a wide range of adaptable metabolisms that help drive biodiversity. Some erinoids are able to fix nitrogen as well and produce vital organic compounds for life. Erinoids are thought to be what made oxygen metabolism possible on Agrona as they produced oxygen as a waste product of splitting water with light. They use oxygen to break down and oxidize organic but seem not to consume the oxygen themselves. They gain energy from this reaction by using the hydrogen produced to create a proton pump across the membrane. Nearly 50% of the oxygen made in this reaction is lost in oxidation so only small amounts are able to form breathable dioxygen. This is the reason for the fluctuating oxygen levels on the planet. These erinoids are an example of convergent evolution with fungi on earth as they both form similar structures and methods as decomposers. While not all are decomposers, decomposing erinoids form some of the larger structures of the phylum, found growing several meters tall. It’s a common sight for erinoids to sprout from dead creatures only hours after due to wind-carried spores. With such diversity, erinoids are a critical part of life on Agrona.