Chemophyta (lit. "chemical plants") is a phylum of autotrophic symbiotic organisms, roughly equivalent to plants on Earth.
Description
While chemophytes are informally referred to as "plants", they are not plants in the truest sense. Rather, they are primarily chemotrophic organisms, whose role on TIRA 292b is roughly equivalent to plants on Earth.
Chemophytes gain energy from processing atmospheric hydrogen sulfide. A trait in almost every branch of Chemophyta (with Necrophyta being the sole exception) is the presence of algal symbiotes within their membrane, which give them a reddish coloration. These algal symbiotes, which are photosynthetic, supply their hosts with some of their produced glucose for additional nutrition, receiving elemental sulfur and water given off as waste products from chemosynthesis in return.
Reproduction
Chemophytes will change their reproduction method depending on the environment. In new, less populated environments, they will use reproduce asexually to colonize the area, switching to sexual reproduction in denser areas.
Chemophytes grow out their gametangia from the central plant body. When reproducing, the male gametes are released into the air, while female gametes are withheld until making contact with male gametes. The gametes then merge into a spore (with some of the algae attaching from the female gametangium), which will grow into a new organism when it lands.
Branches
- Archaeophyta: The oldest branch of Chemophyta
- Xenophyta: Terrestrial Chemophytes
