Alien ecosystem and intelligent life
I'm currently designing an alien world that has a rich biosphere. Now, one thing about the lifeforms of this planet is that they have a completely different genetic code than us. Apart from being different, their genetic code has some.. "different settings", than ours. To make this more clear, here on Earth most scientists say that the goal of all lifeforms is to ensure the survival of their own and the next generation. As for the planet I'm designing, the goal of every lifeform is to ensure the balance of the ecosystem. What do I mean by that: Well for starters, the animals aren't competing with other ones of their species for territory or food. In fact, animals and plants would rather share food, living space, soil for plants etc. Apart from that, most species on the planet are social creatures and almost no creature is on it's own. Even plants are cooperating with each other by sending nutrients to other plants via their "roots". Now on this planet, there is the predator and prey relationship, but the primorial reason for this is so that no species will grow too big in numbers and cause damage to the environment. If a species is on the path to cause damage to the ecosystem on a big scale then the ecosystem will sort of try to "fix" this. 197
Basically, it's like the ecosystem has a mind of its own. Now, as for how this whole "ecosystem brain" works, I'll explain. First thing I should say, all plant species have neurons. What does that have to do with the ecosystem you ask? You see, as I mentioned earlier, the plants of this planet can communicate with each other to exchange information with each other. This way they know when is a good time to floorish or leave their seeds and also when plant eating animals are around the area. Now animals have a way to access this information. For example plant eating animals can sense when the plants that they like are ready to eat. Of course the plants can sense it back so, tgey inform each other that a herbivore is coming. The reason they do this though is not to put out some sort of defence, but in hopes that a nearby carnivore will sense this sort of signal and go to eat the hebivore. So basically this creatures have a way to connect with the rest of the planet. On this planet, there is also an intelligent lifeform that has developed an advanced civilization. Their species, is completelly peacefull, they have never driven other species into extinction, they live in balance with their ecosystem and their motive for advancement was purely curiousity and wonder. Now my quiestion is, could this planet and the fanction of its ecosystem really exist? 445