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Description

Pneumatocysteae is a fully aquatic class of cavifoli, with the signature hollow, floating leaves of the phylum being more equivalent to the air bladders of kelp (called pneumatocysts, hence the class’s name) in this instance. Almost all dominant aquatic plants besides simple grasses fall within this group, so consequently the pneumatocysteae have a major influence on MESW’s oceans--particularly the shallow seafloor. In such environments, pneumatocysteae form extensive forests and other habitats more analogous to coral reefs.

Pneumatocysteae can be divided into two major superorders, the malaco- and scleropneumatocystea. Simply meaning soft and hard varieties respectively, the malacopneumatocystea have more loose and diverse forms--unrestricted by a hard central body. The orders vesicovitis (often forest constituents, some tropical species growing to 70 meters in height), and eoscytus (bulky plants which photosynthesis using xanthophyll) featured here are members of this group. Meanwhile the remaining order in this illustration, ascolithus, is a good example of the scleropneumatocystea, which have a central calcareous body from which pneumatocysts grow either directly or are attached to by tether. This superorder contains most of the primary reefbuilders of MESW.

Description

Pneumatocysteae is a fully aquatic class of cavifoli, with the signature hollow, floating leaves of the phylum being more equivalent to the air bladders of kelp (called pneumatocysts, hence the class’s name) in this instance. Almost all dominant aquatic plants besides simple grasses fall within this group, so consequently the pneumatocysteae have a major influence on MESW’s oceans--particularly the shallow seafloor. In such environments, pneumatocysteae form extensive forests and other habitats more analogous to coral reefs.

Pneumatocysteae can be divided into two major superorders, the malaco- and scleropneumatocystea. Simply meaning soft and hard varieties respectively, the malacopneumatocystea have more loose and diverse forms--unrestricted by a hard central body. The orders vesicovitis (often forest constituents, some tropical species growing to 70 meters in height), and eoscytus (bulky plants which photosynthesis using xanthophyll) featured here are members of this group. Meanwhile the remaining order in this illustration, ascolithus, is a good example of the scleropneumatocystea, which have a central calcareous body from which pneumatocysts grow either directly or are attached to by tether. This superorder contains most of the primary reefbuilders of MESW.