Corticeans

The earliest known life on Marego dates back to the beginning of the Corticean Era, around four billion years after the forming of the planet. They lived near hydrothermal vents along the volcanic ridge in the northern hemisphere of the planet. They where small, exremophile creatures with the shape of a ball or a bullet. Most of them used DNA to store information and protein-based pili to attach themselves to the surronding stones to avoid being send adrift in the ocean, and all of them use Ribosomes to make proteins. Despite the early stage of life there were already diffrent types of cell membranes: Di-lipide membranes made of two layers of lipides and mono-layered carbonhydrate and mono-lipide membranes.

This ancient life-forms fed on the heat and the chemicals spat out by the hydrothermal vents where they lived. Diffrent niches where inhabitated by nitrogen-, iron-, phosphorous-, carbon-monoxide- and sufur-feeding forms, as well as Coriceans that use hydrogen as their main energy source. This way the creatures are able to support their production and usage of ATP as energy for all necessary organic work.

All Coritceans reproduce asexually, but they have the ability to fuse and transfer parts of their genome, if it happens to be damaged. For this they seem to need the same type of outer cell membrane to be able to fuse. Besides the two mates must stay close together, as the early Corticeans aren't able to move around on their account and can only either attach themselves to the surrounding features or float aimlessly with the water current.

There is another group within the Corticeans that is based on RNA as storage molecule instead of DNA. It is not fully clear if it co-evolved, preceeded or evolved after the DNA-based Corticeans. It has a di-lipide membrane and occupies similar niches, mostly relying on outside carbon and is sometimes seen to feed on dead cells of other Corticeans.

Another class of Corticeans lives along the shoreline of the isands and the souther continent and seems to need sunlight to exists, even though it takes it's energy mostly from the chemials in the water. They are more abundant around the volcanic islands and die off in the open ocean after a while. Their membrane is made of a di-lipide layer and they store information in RNA-fragments rather than nucleotides. They don't have cell plasma, but are filled with seawater and diluted carbohydrates as well as lipide molecules. They seem to be capable of self-reproduction, but only under perfect circumstances, as they need the energy of Ilaga 's light to keep their chemical reactions running. They do not pocess any ribosomes or ATP. Their metabolism endproducts are hydrogen and oxygen.

The last form of Corticeans are those which used silicate minerals and formed alongside mineral clays near volcanic islands. They, too, don't posses cellular fluids and have more than one RNA-ring in their cells. Their cell membrane is mono-layered.

Genetic Descendants

• Corticena Anni
• Corticena Georgii
• Corticena Julii
• Corticena Ricardii
• Corticena Timmii

Scientific Name

Corticean

Origin/Ancestry

Volcanic Ridges, Shorelines, Clay Deposits