Seapad

Seapad
Creator	Zenith
Information
Status	Extant
Common Name(s)	Seapad, Greater Tripad, Saltwater Seapad
Zones	4, 14
Roles	Producer
Classification
Genus	Ancoradix
Species	Ancoradix fossancoris
Evolution
Date	March 31st, 2020
Ancestor	Tripad
Descendants	Umbrella Pad

40 cm (diameter of pad) Stem length varies from 8 - 15 meters.

Adaptations: The Saltwater Seapad is a descendant of the Tripad that has adapted to the "newly" saline waters of Zone 14. The most apparent adaptation is the length of the stems that anchor the Pad to the channel's silty floor. They have increased in length, though are still restricted to more shallow areas of the channel. These anchoring stems grow the same way as their ancestors did, the pad beginning with one before making it to the surface before dropping additional weighted tendrils to more firmly anchor themselves. Of course, adapting to a salty area provides some challenges, the main one being the regulation of salt. To combat this, water taken in is filtered of salt (and nutrients) in the roots. However, about 30% of the water taken in keeps its nutrients and salt. To deal with this, another major adaptation has happened in the "body" of the pad, where tendrils connect to the bottom of the pad. Here, a system of channels and pump isolate and excrete the water's salt content. Some additional adaptations include the development of a waxy cuticle covering much of the Seapad's pad, body, and tendrils. This prevents water from being leeched from the Seapad by the surrounding saltwater. B. fossancoris' seeds have developed a similar structure for the same reason.

Feeding: B. fossancoris photosynthesizes using its pad that floats above the water's surface. It uses its roots to uptake water and nutrients.

Reproduction: The Seapad has secondary tendrils similar to that of its ancestor that grow and drop oblong weighted seeds.