Marine Biomes

The following is a list of marine biomes, found in the oceanic regions of Nispe

### **Common Biomes**

**Low Tides:** a boundary between land and sea, many creatures can be found here enjoying the most out of the sunlight while still being underwater. as the tidal forces have slowly distanced the two moons from the planet, they are nowhere as intense as they were before. however, the age of the majestic pillar forests has passed for a long time, leaving this environement with not many more plants.

**Animals:** Carcoh, Bottorm, Ubaam, Groundbore Skub, Quirk Sgrab, Buglar Killerworm, Skate Crab, Dwarf Trumpler, Clap Trumpler, Flatfin Dumpler, Gulpin Dumpler, Coastal Rola, Flattail Rola; **Plants:** Foul Moss, Tough Lettucegrass

**Flats and Coastal Cliffs:** spread all around the world are the flats, among the most desolate biomes and ranging in various dephts (while still limited to low ones). despite the abundance of light still, no plant grows in particular, meaning food is be scarce in this sea floor environement. as such, many of it's inhabitants are dedited to hunt each other. similiar in it's ecosystems are the coastal cliffs, rocky shores in which normally no other biome can take root. while generally lacking in plants, tehse biomes are not devoid of them: hardy species of plants have managed to grow in these localties, and provide both food and hideouts for smaller animals from the widespread predators.

**Animals:** Rock Nettle, Garlic Trashy, Rorola, Scilliya, Shallow Crab, Trap Crab, Skate Crab, Dartworm, Dwarf Trumpler, Lock Dumpler, Rat Crab, Buglar Killerworm, Quirk Sgrab, Carcoh, Billorm, Cetorm, Lesser Cetorm, Turborm, Bottorm; **Plants:** Shaded Scrub, Foul Moss, Tough Lettucegrass

**Open Ocean:** parallel to the flats, the open oceans are vast, harsh and empty tracts of the seas or oceans. still, plankton is very abundant in this place, but few species have bothered to adapt to live here. due to the lack of hideouts, many species tend to prefer shoaling as a defensive method. others instead invest on a bigger size to intimidate potential predators. many of the species in this biome can, however, rely on the occasional lettuce mats to find refuge and food during their persistent travels.

**Animals:** Shellyfish, Shell 'o War, Dartworm, Nabish, Apex Nabish, Giant Rola, Benois Shellyfish, Cetorm; **Plants;** Sea Balls, Spike Lettuce

**Abysses:** below the 1000-metre treshold, sunlight can't reach the sea bottom anymore. even with that, most of the sea floor (and the ocean itself) is below that very line, which makes the desolate abysses, one of the hardest, but also widespread biomes of Nispe, second only to the open oceans. plankton hardly fares well in it, and all the few animals that inhabit the biome have to rely on eating each other or the "abyssal snow" that falls from the upper depths. along with that, they will also have to deal with a very high pressure, pushing for even more specialized and smaller bodies and adaptations. despite all of this, the abyssal plains offer a last-resort haven for entire genres which have gone extinct up there, thanks to the slow evolution process of the biome.

**Animals:** Rock Nettle, Amphisbena, Shellyfish, Wasp Worm, Shallow Crab, Skate Crab, Rat Crab, Turborm

### **Region-specific Biomes**

**Middle Sea:** due to it's unique characteristics regarding currents, geology, biosphere and climate, the Middle Sea possesses an unique, albeit not very rich ecosystem. the low circular currents, especially over the centre of the sea, don't provide a good oxygen exchange, and as such many animals prefer to avoid this region (save for the lower waters near continental platforms, better oxygenated than the inner sea). therefore, many of the creatures and plants that evolved here are slow, or passively eat, which also created a safe haven in which evolve for otherwise precluded clades like scutocephalans and nectonians.

**Animals:** Weeder Sgrab, Benois Shellyfish, Shellyfish, Scraper Fan, Peeking Crab, Quirk Sgrab, Bottorm, Scilliya, Rock Nettle, Garlic Trashy, Clap Trumpler, Shallow Crab, Quickworm, Turborm, Dartworm; **Plants:** Benois Lettucegrass, Tough Lettucegrass, Foul Moss, Shaded Scrub

**Northern Seas:** the cold northern seas and ocean near the poles harbor a similiar environement to the middle sea, but the cold waters and constant currents allow for a greater quantity of oxygen: as such, not only it's biosphere is stronger, but also lets more evolved animal forms to live in this biome. the main megafauna is composed by grazers, such as the ornorms, and predatory xenishes, such as the panther nabish.

**Animals:** Panther Nabish, Nabish, Apex Nabish, Ornorm, Weeder Sgrab, Scraper Fan, Peeking Crab, Scilliya, Reed Rola, Benois Shellyfish, Shellyfish, Shallow Crab, Garlic Trashy, Rorola, Trapworm, Quickworm, Dartworm; **Plants:** Benois Lettucegrass, Tough Lettucegrass

**Arctic Ridges:** on the poles, the sea water eventually starts to freeze: this creates hard surfaces that block the spread of Spike lettuce gardens. but the cold temperatures also make it easier for plankton to live in: as such, filter feeders, as well as mass feeders, are advantages in this biome. however, the lack of plants and covers also makes it very hard for species to easily estabilish here, and many tend to only casually come in this environement.

the ice pack on Nispe only appeared during the need of the Benician, as the planet started to drift back to it's original position and the warm era came to a close. very few animals, tehrefore, have adaptedt to this environement still.

**Animals:** Nykure, Nabish, Shellyfish, Benois Shellyfish, Dartworm, Apex Nabish

**West-Panspermian Waters:** Once the low-depth environements of western panspermia were fairly simple, consisting of simple biomes like pillar gardens, and where even the biosphere was somewhat archaic. but the evolution of new photosynthesizers species had a huge impact on it, due to the toxic properties of their anchoring collagen: eventually, most plants were killed off, as well as many of the animals that lived on them. only few animals survive in this region of Nispe, and many prefer hunting each other rather than eating over the endless Shaded Scrub flats: however, the eggs of these latter can be a reliable source of food for every animal in it.

**Animals:** Shallow Crab, Dartworm, Wasp Worm, Skate Crab; **Plants:** Bin of the Seas, Shaded Scrub, Foul Moss