The floating tuberplants at Dark Moon are the central life form of the ecosystem. Our research team has studied them and discovered that indeed these plants hold the whole bog together. They are wise and compassionate and seem to thrive on love. Though this was hard to measure, we discovered through a series of tests, that avatars cuddling, or lovingly chatting or dancing near a tuberplant, not only felt better, but the tuberplant actually floated with a higher vibration of energy.
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| Studying the Tubers |
You may note that the older tuberplants, the bigger ones, float higher than the young ones. These adult tuberplants can, and want to, support avatars. You may stand on them and commune with them. In fact, they have evolved in such a way that the older they get, the wiser, more compassionate, and supportive they become. The younger tuberplants aspire to this.
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| Adult & Young Tubers Ascending |
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| Close up of Droplets to Feed Tubers |
Starting in the bog itself, a tuberplant begins to float upward seeking nutrients. You may note that the Pitcher Plants produce green and cyan drops that float upward. This is what the tuberplants seek. The symbiotic relationship between the tuber plants and the pitcher plants works in this way: A tuberplant emerges from the bog surviving only on the nutrients left in the spore that was produced by an older tuberplant. The tuberplant then begins to float upward and as it does, begins to sense the airborne particles produced by the pitcher plants. As the tuberplant "feeds" on these particles, it grows bigger and can float up higher. However, the pitcher plants provide only part of what the young tuberplant needs.
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| Pitcher Plants Feeding the Tubers |
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| Precocious Young Tuber |
Interestingly, some of the younger tuberplants at Dark Moon have risen fairly high! And one can even support an avatar! We are not sure why these young tuberplants are so precocious. The same is true of the adults. Up in the Garden of the Ancients (as we on the research team fondly call it), you can see two adult tuber plants being personally tutored by ancient tuberplants! Perhaps it is the personal interest in their development that has created such a healthy ecosystem here. Up in the Garden of the Ancients one can really absorb the energy of the tubers, so be sure to get up there!
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| Garden of the Ancients |
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| Note Flying Baby! |
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| Fungal Growth & Fern Trees |
As you know from our previous research, all the plants here have a symbiotic relationship. The Pitcher Plants produce nutrients for the Tubers, which in turn produce the fungal growth the Pitchers thrive on. Amazingly, a small family of Hippos has taken to feeding on the fungal growth! We believe it is this diet that has allowed the female to give birth to a FLYING baby! Who knew? Well, we do now! We will continue to monitor the young flying hippos behavior! Oh, and if you visit them, do be wary. The flying baby does poop.
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| Moon Fruit Trees |
We also suspect that the tuberplants very slowly migrate. Because the fungal growth they produce is not always directly under them, we suspect they are "seeding" the Bog then moving on. In the Moon Fruit Tree grove this is particularly evident. Moon Fruit Trees spring directly out of the fungal growth, however, they require open water, or some nutrient that does not seem to be in the interior of the region. Our scientists are still researching this phenomenon. The Fern Trees also seem to thrive directly on the fungal growth. Unlike the Pitcher Plants, which do not seem to need to be in direct contact with the fungal growth, these two species do. We have still not found exactly what enables the Pitcher Plants to produce the food for the Tuberplants, but we are looking at the issue.
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| 9th Ancient with Medicinal Pods |
The research team here at Dark Moon has also investigated the three other Bog trees, in an attempt to determine their role in the ecosystem. Known "Ancients" as well, we assumed that these species were important. Again, they are the largest ground dwelling plant life.
It is possible that the 9th ancient species (the one with the red bean pods) contributes to the ability that the Pitcher Plants have acquired to produce food for the tubers. This has not been proven yet, but we believe that bean pods that fall into the water release a chemical that floods the water. The Pitcher Plants may use this, in combination with the nutrients from the fungal growth, to create the green and cyan droplets the tuberplants feed upon. The seeds & pods can be eaten, but they will cause inebriation in avatars (prolly humans too). These seed pods are also a strong medicine that can be used to reduce fever, reduce pain, and cure cancer.
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| A Golden Guardian with Rootlets |
Meanwhile, the Golden Guardian Trees are few and far between. These trees are VERY old. Some of them dating back to before Linden Labs created this gird. Each spot on a Golden Guardian Tree represents a year of growth. You can imagine how old the Ancient Tubers are, if these Golden Guardians are that old! We are not sure just why they prefer the northern end of the Bog, but they do produce creeping "rootlets" that look like grass. What looks like yellow grass throughout the landscape, is actually Guardian Tree rootlets. It is possible that the rootlets need to grow toward the light, therefore the south, and this is why the Golden Guardian trees line the northern edge of the Bog. The rootlets serve as food for the animal life that has migrated to the Bog. So far, our team has discovered no endemic species of fauna, unless one counts the mutated flying baby hippo. We believe the Golden Guardian trees, with their spreading rootlets, hold the Bog in a state of homeostasis so important for any ecosystem.
Occasionally on Dark Moon, you may come across a Puffer Flower. Our research team was at first wary of these lovely plants that gave off I fine mist of spray when one got close to the flower. What we have found, however, it that this mist actually contains the "cumulative essence" of the whole Bog! There are not many of these Puffer Flowers, because it takes years for then to mature. At maturity, they are capable of producing this mist. In fact, they actively seek an avatar to spray it at. This is the ultimate means of communication in the Bog. The fine mist is in fact a healing potion created in the flower. These flowers can only survive in an ecosystem that thrives on love, such as Dark Moon's Bog. It is the ethereal compassion and love of the Tuberplants, the complex chemicals of the 9th Ancient tree's seed pods, and of course the fungal growth the tuberplants produce, carried by the rootlets of the Golden Guardian Trees that enable them to do so.
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| Enjoying Puffer Flower's Spray |
Just as the Tubers resonate at a higher level of energy when avatars snuggle, dance, or lovingly chat near them, these Puffer Flowers want to communicate the loving atmosphere of the total ecosystem. If you feel down, unloved, or ill in any way, be sure to seek a Puffer Flower and allow it to spray you! This will refresh you spirits and help your immune system fight off all computer viruses
