Tenebrinatus crusteus
Ancestor: Tenibrinatus blackensis
Size: 3-4 cm diameter per body. No more than ½ cm high.
Zone 8
Tenebrinatus crusteus is a type of algae that resides in zone 8. It is formed when a mutation occurred in some blackensis. The algae get its nutrients by photosynthesizing. The algae are dark green to collect the maximum amount of sunlight. It resides on rocks less than 75 feet from shore and 30 feet deep. It resides on the bottom of zone 8 near the shore. Because it is so shallow it can collect the most amount of light. Its body is much like lichen and is a bit tougher than blackensis because of increased silica intake from the cells and storage of it. The purple pigmnet, that sticks to blackensis, is still present. There is a glue is secreted by the algae. It helps the algae stick to the rocks and hold on in case of slightly strong waves. Some of the sugars that functions antifreeze are used in the formation of polysaccharides. These polysaccharides are then secreted alongside the pigment and acts as a glue that helps T. crusteus attach itself onto rocks. They modified the sugars used in their antifreeze by attaching them together to form polysaccharides. Many algae still come off of the rocks though because it is not sticky enough to hold them on permanently.
Reproduction. This alga reproduces one way. The first way is one part of the algae falls off the rock and flies somewhere else. This often happens because the algae can be ripped off the rock when waves of large magnitude come. These fragments fly to another part of the ocean and stick to a rock. A new algae is grown there
Defense. There is one major defensive measure of Tenebrinatus crusteus. It is the hardness of the body. Other members of Tenibrinatus are less hard and thus more appetizing and easier to eat, for most organisms. Consumers will need a way to deal with its hardness in order to eat it
