Terra 2: A Second Tree Of Life

The Subjects

The most essential part of an experiment is the subjects. While the subjects introduced to Terra 2 might not be specialized there will still be a wide assortment of species. A variety of grasses and algae will be introduced to create an earth-like atmosphere, which, as of 0 years PE, is 27% oxygen, and multiple lands and sea vertebrates. These include fish like goldfish, birds like robins, and rodents like mice and capybaras, which are the largest land vertebrates at this time. As well as vertebrate creatures multiple mollusks, annelids, insects, and gastropods will be introduced to create a sustainable food source. Molluscs will serve a niche analogous to fungi on earth, as no mushrooms have been introduced, breaking down dead animal and plant matter. Insects are essential detritivores and food sources for things like robins and kiwis and are just fun. Multiple jellyfish will linger in the abyss, specifically the box jellyfish, while goldfish and small guppies will swim above feeding off small plankton like shrimp, who in turn feed off phytoplankton. While grasses may make up the bulk of plant life on Terra 2, at least in the earliest eras, there will also be an abundance of dandelions and tulips as well as bush-like weeds and, sorry Dylan Bajda, bamboo. Each lifeform will have its niche with no other species to compete with......yet. Life on Terra 2 will be unspecialized and simple yet unique and diverse. They will give rise to thousands of species and tens of lineages before they die in 500,000,000 years.

Capybaras

The largest land vertebrae on Terra 2 is the capybara. Despite this, they are only about 2-3 feet at the shoulder. While this is very impressive considering it is a rodent, related to rats and mice, it's nowhere near the size of even small grazers here on earth. However, due to no competition from other grazers, they will take the herbivore niche of trimming the grassland and act like living lawnmowers.

Hamsters

The only other mammal introduced to Terra 2 will be the common hamster. Due to a drastic size difference from their close cousins the capybaras, they will both eat the same food source; grass. However, hamsters may be a bit more opportunistic and feed on a different level in an example of niche partitioning. Filling the place of burrowers, they will quickly proliferate and disperse with ease.