Dryad
"Dryad" is the English name given to a species of protosophont native to the planet Silvanus in the Alpha Centauri. Though they do not exhibit technological civilization at this point in time, their natural behavior suggests increasing cognitive capacity and social complexity - a general trend toward advanced sapience. Dryads have a life cycle unique among known sophonts: the larval form, known as "nymphs," are motile fauna-analogues; while the adult form are sessile flora-analogues.
Biology
Anatomy & Morphology
Dryads, like the rest of the Silvanian phylum Phytofauna, have two major forms in their life cycle: the fauna-like mobile "nymph" phase, and the sedentary tree-like "dryad" phase. Unlike the majority of their phylum, however, the dryads retain far more of their faunal traits into the floral adult phase, including sensory organs and the advanced larval nervous system.Nymph Stage
Vaguely resembling terragenid arthropods in body form, the nymphs are dodecapods with bilateral symmetry. Two rows of six pseudo-crystalline compound eyes line their body above the limbs, accompanied by twelve spiracles that feed into the respiratory system. The front end of the organism has two additional forward-facing eyes above a sphincter-like mouth, with twelve tentacles around the mouth that function as both manipulators and olfactory sensors. Their sense of hearing is poor, facilitated by a trifecta of vibration-sensitive antennae positioned just behind the eyes. The nymphs have an internal "skeleton" of cartilage and bast-like fibrous tissue to provide support to their bodies, and their circulatory system more closely resembles the vascular tissues of terragenid plants than that of animals. Rather than the typical blood pigments, these organisms have repurposed the photosynthetic molecule chlorophyll-A as an oxygen carrier. Their cuticle-like skin sports broad, leaf-like photosynthetic “feathers” that afford them auxiliary energy in addition to the nutrients absorbed from their active hunting habits.Adult Stage
Dryads stay in their nymph form for up to a century before they are ready to pass into the next phase of their life cycle. Upon undergoing metamorphosis, the nymph becomes nearly unrecognizable. They plant their "face" in the earth near the adult dryads that raised them and, over years, grow tall and tree-like. The oral tentacles become roots, connecting to the roots of the grove to exchange nutrients and electrochemical signals. The body becomes elongated, stretching upward like a trunk, while its limbs grow stiff and the leaf-feathers on them grow much larger. The entire digestive tract shifts to the base, near the roots. Interestingly, the adult form retains the eyes and breathing spiracles of the nymph phase, giving an uncomfortable literalism to the Earthly phrase "the trees have eyes." Groves of tree-like adult dryads form vast, interconnected root networks and function as hive minds, collections of their worldly experiences as nymphs and the information brought to them by their nymph tenders over the many centuries of their adult lives. These groves share nutrients, water, an immune system, and possibly genetic material. Bolstered by the physiological support of their grovemates, individual adult dryads live for several hundred years -sometimes far longer. The death of an individual adult dryad is a rare event, and the only recorded instances of such are due to predation or accidents.Evolution
Evolution is eagerly selecting for cognitive capacity in these organisms. The evolutionary biologists of Silvanus are still striving to fully understand the evolution of the dryads, but the current theoretical model suggests that they are gradually gaining sapience not only because smarter nymphs survive long enough to germinate, but also that adults whom retain their worldly knowledge are able to convey that knowledge to their nymphs in order to increase the evolutionary fitness of their own lineage.Ecology
Geographic Origin & Distribution
Dryads originated on the planet Silvanus, orbiting the star Rigil Kentaurus in the Alpha Centauri star system, and this is the only planet they are found on as of the 30th century. It is unlikely that dryads will achieve technological civilization, and thus spaceflight, in the next several millennia.Habitat & Survival Factors
The nymph form of a dryad is quite resilient, and is prone to manipulating its environment and using tools to help it survive. They do best in temperate, somewhat-humid environments, but have been observed in a variety of habitats from semiarid scrub to boreal tundra. The adult form is more particular in terms of habitat, requiring their rooting spot to have ample nutrients and abundant sunlight.Sociology
While not fully sapient at this point, dryads do exhibit behaviors characteristic of early primitive culture, including a form of electrochemical communication complex enough to be considered a language -though as-yet untranslated by scientists. Groves of mature dryads appear to be revered as sacred by nymphs, forming the basis of an odd form of living ancestor worship. The ancient adult dryads, who seem to act as arbiters of law and custom in their communities, are deified -or at least highly respected- by their descendant nymphs, some of whom spend the better part of their larval lives caring for the adults. Long-term sophological studies of dryad behavior discovered that newly hatched nymphs are raised and taught by these "elder groves" before being sent into the wider world as informants for their grove of origin. Once a nymph reaches maturity and is ready to metamorphose into an adult dryad, the nymph community performs a "rooting ritual" to ensure the maturing individual is properly planted and connected to the neural-root network of the grove.Archive Data
ORIGINS
- visual (300 - 1000 nm)
- auditory (5 Hz - 1 kHz)
- tactile (5 μm limit)
- olfactory
The values presented here describe the conditional limits of sustained indefinite survival. The species can survive more extreme conditions for shorter amounts of exposure.
Gravity limit
1.5 G
Pressure range
0.7 to 2.8 atm
Air mix
24% to 68% O2
Temperature range
0 to 45 °C
Radiation limit
- Gamma: 0.3 Gy
- Beta: 0.08 Gy
- Alpha: 0.015 Gy
Scientific Name
Xenodryada protosapiens
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