Polyphoradium discus

Polyphoradium discus
Creator	D̜͙̟͉ìn̨̹o̬̗C̼̮̣͡óaͅt͜
Information
Status	Extant
Zones	13, 25, 27, 29
Roles	Producer
Classification
Genus	Polyphoradium
Species	Polyphoradium discus
Evolution
Date	April 27th, 2019
Ancestor	Unknown
Descendants	Polyphoradium polaris

This colonial saltwater polyph is among the heaviest of the aquatic polyphs by far. Polyphoradium discus (named after its gradually radiating disc-shaped structures that act as supports) is native to the shallow waters of Zone 29 and is found growing in waters of up to one-hundred meters (100 m) in depth. Although the cells of this polyph can survive individually if detached, they have an easier time living together sharing nutrients and supporting eachother's structure.

Polyphoradium discus colonies can grow up to ten meters (10 m) in height and another ten meters (10 m) in diameter thanks to the help of round disc-shaped formations that are used as support and gradually shrink in size the higher up they are. This allows the colonies to grow large in order to take in available sunlight.

Growing so large in size, cells in the center of the colonies will not collect enough energy through photosynthesis and so they will have a programmed death as a result and the nutrients will stop being consumed by them so that cells further outwards do not have to share that energy and decrease energy demand. If the outer cells are damaged other cells on the outside will grow that direction to repair the disc. Once a colony grows so large as to lose the ability to sustain itself with a shared radius that cannot support all cells and be maintained, it will slowly die off and will be fed on by microbes to be replaced by other polyphs.

Although Polyphoradium discus acts as one single organism, it is considered colonial due to its method of reproduction. It does not sexually reproduce or release seeds, but rather cells or cell clumps that are knocked out or unattached from the colony (from external forces or from colonial death) will reprogram themselves to attempt to grow into a new colony. These colonies grow quickly at first, around two centimeters (2 cm) of radius per week, but will gradually grow more and more slowly as mass is added on, slowing down to a centimeter (1 cm) of overall growth a year once at gargantuan sizes (5 m+). These colonies can live up to five-hundred (500) years in total if healthy and completely undisturbed, although two-hundred to three-hundred (200-300) years is also a typical range.