Ghost Mycostrums
Ghost Mycostrums are an evolution of the Pale Mycostrum which have completely lost their photosynthesis. They additionally developed airborne spores, which allows them to reproduce sexually, though they retain the ability to transfer genes via conjugation. They form a vital part of the nitrogen cycle on land, converting organic nitrogen in the remains of dead organisms and in the waste of fauna back into ammonium in a process called ammonification.
Individual species of Ghost Mycostrum are difficult to distinguish, with the only obvious varying feature other than size being the shape of the fruiting body. Many different species can exist in the same area, and hybridization is common; this causes there to be a great variety of different fruiting body shapes present nearly anywhere they can be found. Generally, they don’t fare as well in deserts and icy biomes as in less extreme climates, so there are few distinct regional variants. Polar species do exist, however; they must go dormant over the frigid winters, with all their feeding, fruiting, and reproduction occurring over the summer instead. Thanks to their airborne reproduction, they have managed to cross flyways and become a global lineage.
The spores of Ghost Mycostrums are formed inside modified, stunted buds. Most of their spores are released into the air, where they encounter other Ghost Mycostrums and fertilize their respective “female” spores. The fertilized spores are then also released into the air, where they are spread mainly by wind; fauna which happen to get caught in the midst of Ghost Mycostrum breeding can also carry their spores far away to new locations. If a Ghost Mycostrum never receives spores to fertilize its own, the modified buds will grow into new individuals as they did in the ancestor. Like other mycostrums, Ghost Mycostrums spend most of their life simply as a mycelial network within the soil or coating a dead organism, and they send out fruiting bodies when space, energy, and moisture allow.