Alloplortatus thadalibratus

Alloplortatus thadalibratus
Creator	OviraptorFan
Information
Status	Extant
Zones	I
Roles	Producer
Classification
Genus	Alloplortatus
Species	Alloplortatus thadalibratus
Evolution
Date	June 27th, 2021
Ancestor	Alloplortatus desertus
Descendants	No results

Alloplortatus desertus in zone I would grow near the lake of zone I1. To adapt to living in these tidal flats, some populations of A. desertus would give rise to a new species.

4-5 meters tall

The roots of Alloplortatus thadalibratus have become much more shallow for the because of the consistent water source with a few of the central roots growing deep. The brackish water can cause dehydration, A. thadalibratus has developed salt bladders on the leaves, which are specialized epidermal cells containing a vacuole into which salt is pumped. With this adaptation, the species is able to extract remove salt from the brackish water.

During the dry season when the lake shrinks in size due to the heat and lack of rainfall the polyph is at risk of desiccation. The deep central roots of A. thadalibratus access the water table even when it lowers during the dry season. The leaves have become more needle-like and developed a waxy covering derived from the outermost layer of the leaves which is composed of a hydroxy fatty acid. The thinner leaves help minimize surface area while the waxy cuticle makes it tougher for water to escape. All of these adaptations resulted in energy used for the trunk previously being halted early as a portion of the energy is used for the roots and leaves, thus resulting in the tree being shorter.

A. thadalibratus retains several hollow chambers to store water that act as a reserve when there is little rainfall. If many of them are full they will grow inflexible, woody vines that produce a cluster of flowers in August. One pollinated, the flowers will develop seeds that remain attached until the following rainy season when the tissue connecting the seeds to the vine will fill with water and the seeds will be launched by the pressure. Their growth takes much longer than their ancestors, with the sapling only reaching 10 cm in the first year, growing another 10 centimeters each year after until full size.