Arctic Buoyxanth Mimic

Far from the bustling ecosystems found at Aether's equator, the arctic presents a very different mode of life. In the arctic conditions are dire, for half of the year life is bathed in darkness, while in the other half, life is presented with eternal day. Due to the colossal ice sheets and long winter nights large multicellular xanthophytes, the plants that breathe oxygen into Aether, are uncommon leaving planktonic algae to do most of the photosynthesizing. Summer brings with it the opportunity for algae to bloom in enormous quantities, providing nutrients for the denizens that live just below the ice shelf. However, despite the difficulties present for larger xanthophytes, some have persisted most notably the buoyxanths.

Buoyxanths display a host of adaptations that allow them to survive in the arctic, they require ample light and thus can only be found in the gaps of sea ice present during the summer months. As the darkness takes over they release bitter nutrient-packed diaspores that remain neutrally buoyant to avoid sinking to the polar depths, to survive the winter these diaspores lie in wait for the temperatures to begin to raise before finally sprouting. In preparation for the sunlight, the seedlings have already begun to grow their first leaves these leaves create a bladder filled with atmospheric gasses that is enough to lift them to the surface where they will continue to grow their second set of leaves that grow on top of their bladder to better take advantage of photosynthesis. Throughout the year they grow only slightly as most of their energy is spent on expanding the tuber just below their air bladders storing all the nutrients required to produce the thousands of diaspores that are released as the sun sets, ready to hibernate until the sunrise.

An intrepid squim makes the brave journey out from under the ice shelf, it prepares itself for the warm embrace of the sun's rays. As it finishes sunbathing and its body reaches a more optimal temperature, it spots that familiar yellow hue that it knows to mean food. It moves closer rightfully excited as large energy-dense xanthophytes are rare in its habitat. As it reaches the border of a floating forest it selects a meal and closes in, until suddenly it is stopped. It recoils in pain as if several tiny mouths have taken bites out of its body. It attempts to swim away only for its fins to fail as its body is paralyzed. Unable to escape the lowly squim has been captured, fooled by what to the squim was an indistinguishable mimic. The squim's journey has ended. As the mimic finishes its meal it ceases all movement and awaits its next victim.

In the forest that floats on the water's surface what resembles an oasis amongst a desert of ice shelves hosts a biome home to some of the most conceited organisms. Amongst the buoyxanths, there lurks an imposter. Mimicry is a common tactic used by all forms of life, both predator and prey. Aggressive mimicry is used by predators that mimic a harmless model, such as a buoyxanth, to deceive their prey. The arctic buoyxanth mimic floats on the surface of the water, leaving its seven arms to motionlessly drift with the currents, it has two simple eyes to search for prey. These eyes have developed independently from its close relative acanthaceps. However, even compared to its closest relatives arctic buoyxanth mimics are unique for possessing eyes on only two of its arms rather than all of them, an adaptation to better conserve energy to survive long periods without meals. The arctic buoyxanth mimic's key feature, its neustonic lifestyle on the surface of the water occurred in a convergent way to one of its more distant relatives, sections of its stomach have compartmentalized now functioning as a swim bladder buoyant enough to keep them floating at the surface. While straying from complete radial symmetry might suggest cephalization, the formation of a "head" with a relative front and back, arctic buoyxanth mimics are equally capable of attacking in any direction, showing that behaviorally they remain primarily radially symmetric.

Squim are attracted to the open water, an escape from the crippling shelter of the sea ice, mostly dependent on sunlight to warm their bodies they become sluggish when blocked from it. Around the zenith of the poles, squim are mostly absent aside from the few species that, like arctic pliaceps, possess the antifreeze proteins necessary for survival. Pliaceps outnumber squim significantly as they require less energy and can better tolerate colder temperatures, compared to pliaceps that have inhabited the Arctic for millions of years squim have only just visited.

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