Leafstar



As the lilstar was still technically a microorganism, a hybrid between it and other microorganisms could still occur. The leafstar is the result of evolution following a lilstar cell swallowing up some adoralgae. The adoralgae produced oxygen which it could metabolize and convert to carbon dioxide for energy, so not digesting the adoralgae was advantageous. As a result, the adoralgae component got smaller and functionally evolved into a chloroplast while the lilstar component evolved to be leaf-like. The leafstar, like its ancestor, is multicellular and has 4 arms—but instead of swimming, it sprawls flat near the surface of the ocean and absorbs sunlight. Its body plan has been modified so that one side is smooth and flat and the other covered in baits, which catch small cells and bits of dead organisms that float nearby to fuel its growth. It is still capable of swimming, but only does so to recover if it were to be flipped over. It has developed a flexible cell wall, which helps to protect it from dangerous UV light.