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Popper

This organism is not, despite the name an aphrodesiac. Instead it is a retinalphyte. Some high stems with a wider “leaf” started to remain buoyant for longer and longer until they no longer had a need to go back down. The popper now spends most of its life floating. It retained its ability to create hydrogen which it still uses to disperse seeds.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The leaf now has enough surface area to stay afloat on its own, it has a short 15cm stem and the rest of the organism is thin rhizoid underneath which it uses to absorb nutrients. It creates a balloon-like structure in the center of the “leaf” which is full of hydrogen and gametes which it releases when there are favorable windy conditions, the balloon floats up and opens in an X-shape at the top, releasing the gametes at an even greater height than before

Genetics and Reproduction

The popper fills a thin hydrogen balloon with gametes which floats up a few dozen meters into the air before opening and spreading it into the wind where it will mix with others to create a new poppers.

Growth Rate & Stages

Once the gametes fall into the water they spend the first part of their life as plankton and then grow into their mature form in roughly 85 local days. It will continue to grow into its full size at 190 local days and continue living and reproducing for a further 1.5 local years.