Glassphere

Glassphere (Vitromunitae sphaera)
24/?, unknown cause
Creator	Bardic Other
Taxonomy
Domain Genus Species	Eukaryota Vitromunitae Vitromunitae sphaera
Epoch/Generation	2/148
Habitat	Mason Polar Coast , Mason Polar Ocean (Sunlight Zone)
Size	1 cm Wide
Support	Unknown
Diet	Photosynthesis
Respiration	Unknown
Thermoregulation	Unknown
Reproduction	Asexual, Spores

Descendant of	Ancestor of
Transparent Gildron	Brightsphere

The glassphere split from its ancestor, the transparent gildron, and became macroscopic. An extremely simplistic organism, it consists of a sphere-shaped colony of transparent cells similar to its ancestor's. Beginning as a single spore, layer upon layer of more cells grow on top of that, gradually forming a tiny sphere shape. Being transparent, the cells allow light to pass through them to the lower layers. Eventually, however, the outer layers of cells become so thick that little to no light passes through to the inner ones, and they begin to die. They are then recycled to provide more energy for the rest of the colony. Thus, as the sphere gets bigger, it comes to resemble a semi-transparent, hollow globe. This hollow pocket in the center also allows the glasspheres greater buoyancy in the waves. As the sphere gets larger, it begins to become less structurally sound and more brittle. Most colonies don't grow larger than about one centimeter in width before being broken apart by the flow of currents or collisions with other organisms. When a colony approaches the largest it can become, its hollow center fills with spores. When it breaks, the spores then disperse off into the surrounding waters.