Landfall Grove
With the rise of predators, pathogens, and quite a lot of dead things on beaches, the crystal grove continued its evolution. A new species to replace it arose, which became tolerant of being exposed to open air—developing the ability to respire air using stomata-like structures placed along its trunk, the development of which is triggered by long-term exposure to air. This allows this new species, the landfall grove, to live on beaches, as long as it sprouted in the water; in theory it could grow on moist land as well, but its spores are not yet capable of going airborne. Like its ancestor, it has “petrified” branches and roots made of a mineralized bone-like material and as spores are very hardy and can travel across the ocean to sprout on both continents. Its roots are now much more fortified and have petrification further down, protecting it from threats such as Photosagnia rombusi, forcing them to only enter via pores on its trunk already used for diffusion—where they are easily managed and quickly digested as they come in.