Post by Pawel on Apr 25, 2021 12:10:15 GMT
Icky Conk (Adhaesia phussalis)
There were relatively few dedicated mycologists in the Athena Project, but their early discovery of Poseidon fungal analogs may have very well saved the fledgling colony from a microbial catastrophe. Humanity has never faced such a hungry foe before. Countless species of fast fungus were catalogued and analysed, their chemical resistance, growth rate and virulence dominating all other research priorities. Natural and synthetic countermeasures were developed to protect settlers and their equipment from the most common and most destructive strains.
Compared to all these hazards, the humble icky conk has always been dismissed as a widespread but minor annoyance - and also as a suboptimal last resort method of combating fast fungus. Icky conk is a polypore analog, found in most non-aquatic biomes, especially rainforests and other vegetation-rich habitats. Its fruiting body, resembling a bracket fungus as much as it does a leaking blister, secretes an adhesive chemical with which it attaches its spores, and often small chunks of itself, to passing animals. The substance is mildly irritating, it smells of sewage and is notoriously difficult to wipe off clothes and hair.
In contrast to the highly corrosive fast fungus infections, icky conks break down dead matter at rates similar to those of Earth’s rot. Their mycelia take nourishment from all types of woody plant tissue, dead or alive, as well as various minute animals, primarily insect analogs, attracted to the conks’ fetor and slowly dissolved in gluey pools of decay. Larger animals tend to help themselves to these buffet tables, getting thoroughly plastered with spores as part of the meal deal.
The only redeeming quality of icky conks is the fact that their secretions are toxic to an unconfirmed number of fast fungus species. There are other, better ways of protecting bioplastic equipment and wooden hulls from corrosive damage, but in an emergency one can gather a handful of these foul smelling lumps of fungal flesh and rub them onto the affected areas. The resulting mess is, according to some, hardly worth the effort, as there is no guarantee the conks’ slime will affect the encountered strain of fast fungus in any significant way.
- Range: Planetwide
- Habitat: Primarily tropical and temperate rainforests and woodlands
- Length: Fruiting body up to 30 centimetres long
- Weight: Fruiting body up to 2 kilograms
- Frequency: Common
- Resource value: Minimal. Icky conks are somewhat useful as improvised survival tools, but the sanitary nightmare they cause often disqualifies the potential benefits they offer.
- Threat value: None
- Movement: None