B'ɛlk'u bɑk'ul

The bɑk'ul is a genus of tall shrubs (b'ɛlk'u family) occurring in open woodland ecosystems. It has two specialised inhabitants, the ðɪkɪs bahni and the wɑɬud bahlɑ.

## Biology:

### Descriptions:

#### b'ɛlk'u bɑk'ul (Heart-Moth Bush)

Tall shrubs are defined as a maximum height greater than 13 ðɛmɪ. The bɑk'ul shrub typically matures with a width 2/3rds that of its height.

The leaves of the shrub are simple and obcordate in shape. Leaves are approximately 1 ðɛmɪ in width. The shrub is dense, and branches are covered in shape spines. The flowers form in a large, densely packed inflorescence at 0.912 ðɛmɪ in width and 0.612 in height, which hang down from a branch. Each inflorescence contains around 20012 to 60012 flowers depending on the species. The radially symmetrical flowers contain a single whorl of 9 small discrete sepals and a whorl of 9 discrete petals, about 0.112 ðɛmɪ in length. The petals are narrow-eliptic in shape. The ovate sepals are fused to the underside of the petals and form a narrow cup-shaped flower. The style is twice the length of the petals and is continuous from the surface of the inflorescence to the tip. The tip of the style is sharply pointed, but while the flower is in bloom it is covered in a soft ball.

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#### ðɪkɪs bahni (Heart-Moth)

The ðɪkɪs bahni is a small mouse-shaped organism with plate-bar wings and dorsal shield-plates. Its adult form is approximately 0.212 ðɛmɪ in length, not including the short tail, which is about one quarter of the body length. The bahni can be classified as a type III species, with low juvenile survival and low parental care, with many young produced to make up for it.

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#### wɑɬud bahlɑ (Heart-Bush Bird)

The wɑɬud bahlɑ is a round bird-like organism, at around 0.A12 ðɛmɪ in length. It can be classified as between type I and type II, with high juvenile survival but a linear death-rate after maturation.

Their primary defences are the first feather in their crest, which is modified into a sharp spine, as well as an extended upper plate of their beak which continues along the dorsal line to just past their large, highly binocular eyes. The beak is otherwise narrow and sharply pointed, and amounts to about half of the total length of its head. The wings are short and wide, and while they rarely fly, are competent in the air.

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### Interactions:

When the b'ɛlk'u bɑk'ul's inflorescence is about to bloom, it releases a pheromone to attract the attention of an adult bahni. The bahni will claim the inflorescence and defend it from other adults, before the flowers bloom this is primarily done through posturing, using their wings to appear larger and screaming. Once the flowers bloom, the adult bahni will start to eat the petals of the flowers, which triggers the release of eggs, which are laid inside the style near the surface of the inflorescence with a short ovipositor. There is one egg laid per flower.

The larvae's first instar is limbless and eyeless, and burrows into the centre of the inflorescence to eat the spongy material within. The second instar has rudimentary forelimbs and the beginnings of the cranial shield-plate. The third instar has strong forelimbs and a larger shieldplate. The end of this instar coincides with the beginning of the fruiting stage of the inflorescence. The larvae burrow out and drop to the ground below. The surface of the fruit hardens, with the styles of the flowers hardening into sharp spines. The six nuts, arranged in a circle, are left untouched by the larvae, begin to grow and fill the space that the larvae ate away. When the nuts are mature the surface of the fruit cracks to release them, with the empty husk falling away soon after.

The larvae, after leaving the fruit, burrow quickly into the ground to avoid predation, and transform into their juvenile stage, which has fully formed hind-limbs and two spines from which the middle and rear dorsal shield plates develop from. The juvenile also has functional eyes, though their eyesight is poor. The juveniles mature into their adult form in the soil, consuming primarily leaf litter.

For the few bahni that survive the bahlɑ and mature to adulthood, they will return into the branches of the shrub to eat the leaves while their body prepares eggs to lay. While the bahni are amicable to each others presence when not reproducing, and primarily posture as a threat before an inflorescence blooms, their behaviour when contesting for a blooming inflorescence is quite different. Posturing usually only works on bahni with inadequate numbers of prepared eggs, and otherwise contests quickly turn to violence, with injuries expected and deaths fairly common. Due to this, there are usually only enough bahni for just over one per fruit, with newly matured adults replacing the previous tenants as their injuries accumulate. After the egg laying period, the last bahni to take control of the inflorescence returns to eating leaves until their eggs replenish and another inflorescence is available.

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The bahlɑ feeds primarily on larval and juvenile bahni, especially those recently fallen, which are collected and eaten before they can bury themselves. They also feed on adults, but only when already dead. They also require soft fruits in their diet, which are usually small berries collected from other bushes. The bahlɑ nest under the bɑk'ul, with each shrub supporting a family, including a triad and their young. Grass is used to make the nest, and the husks of the bɑk'ul fruit are used around the edges of the shrub to prevent access from other animals. The fallen nuts are rolled outside the base of the shrub, and kicked away, assisting with dispersion. While protected under the bɑk'ul shrub, they are vulnerable to predation when venturing outside for fruit, dispersing as newly-matured adults, and during fires.