Corcraonach

Finding itself in a niche rather unique to the shores of Sagan 4, The trisymbiomats, over the course or millions of generations, spread slowly over the area of first the Dixon and Fermi coastlines, then to the surrounding continental coasts. Soon, from the spread of currents and the hardiness of the colonies allowed for the species to spread eventually to every coast of Sagan 4. Eventually, the original trisymbiomat strains along with their Violet Mat ancestors disappeared from the shores of Sagan 4, but in their place arose millions of colonies comprising hundreds of species and subspecies. Only those populations in the further ashore in the marshlands still cling to existence.

The adaptation that allowed for this spread was a primitive form of spore-like formation. When any colony of the various Corcraonach species reaches an adequate size, they will form clumps, only a few micrometers in size, with a Laminanimbus layer formed around a layer of Etiamphotonae and Krakowhexia. These structures are simple, only a few cells large, but they are released in the millions every day. The sheer volume and small size allows for them to float for weeks before planting in the sand. While the individual colonies are rather small, they can work collectively with other colonies, sometimes resulting in thick carpets of these organism spreading out over vast distances and all over the surface of any where they can get purchase.

They live in virtually the same basic lifestyles, clinging to surfaces and growing where they can. They are extremely dependent on one another, to the point that no species is able to survive independently of the mat structures. After millions of years of genetic exchange, the cells are now functionally the same superorganism. They live in every coastal environment, with some species existing as purely marine molds clinging to the seabed, some that have adapted to clinging commensalistically to other either free swimming or sessile organisms, while others have begun to maintain more terrestrial lifestyles, living within the intertidal and littoral zones.

Terrestriality has emerged multiple times in this lineage, and as a result has taken on multiple form. Strains in drier environments have developed a dormancy state a bit more advanced than their ancestors the symbiomats, allowing them to limit their metabolism while in areas of low moisture/nutrients. The outer layer will be stripped of nutrients and the resulting dead layer will form a crust that allows for moisture retention. The more humid environments some species find themselves in perfectly suitable climates to transition onto land, but still maintain the more primitive protection developed in its distant ancestors. They still need to find more favorable conditions for collecting water and nutrients, such as near decaying floral matter or on cliffs near the seaside, but the plentiful sources of these give them plenty of options. These more terrestrial strains, while unique, are only a few dozen of the hundreds of various species that make up the corcraonach genus. Though a global species, by far the greatest diversity is found in the regions surrounding Dixon, Talon, Orpington, and most especially Fermi.